The much-anticipated fight between American combatant Dustin Poirier and Irishman Conor McGregor ended in abbreviated fashion, as a leg injury suffered by McGregor forced a halt to the bout at the end of the first round, with Poirier taking a 2-1 lead in their lightweight UFC trilogy via TKO(technical knockout) on Saturday (local time) in Las Vegas.
The fight was intense and action-packed for as long as it lasted, but the third matchup between the two superstars absolutely didn't live up to the hype. The fight was officially ruled as a "doctor's stoppage" at the end of the first round by referee Herb Dean after McGregor's leg snapped on the edge of the octagon.
McGregor opened up the proceedings with a spinning kick to the body and followed with more kicks to the body and legs before throwing a left hand upstairs. Poirier answered with kicks to the leg of his own and when he let loose with punches to the head, he knocked McGregor off balance before grappling with his foe against the fence, as per UFC.com.
McGregor attempted a guillotine choke as the two went to the mat, and when Poirier slipped loose, he worked for position while throwing a series of elbows in response to elbows by the Irishman. With a minute left, Poirier let loose with his ground strikes and was able to shake off an upkick from McGregor before the two rose. Seconds later, the two swung and missed, and as McGregor stepped back, he fell and appeared to break his left leg, bringing in the referee to stop the fight at 5:00 of the first round.
It was the first time a capacity crowd has attended a UFC fight at the T-Mobile arena in Nevada since the COVID-19 pandemic. Saturday's crowd included former US President Donald Trump.
"I beat the guy," said Poirier, when asked by Joe Rogan if the win was anticlimactic. As for this being the end of the rivalry, the two continued to jaw at each other after the fight, with McGregor telling Rogan, "This is not over." The No.1-ranked Poirier moves to 28-6, 1 NC with the win. The No.5-ranked McGregor falls to 22-6. McGregor defeated Poirier in their first bout in 2014 before Poirier evened the score in January.
