Six years after beating Dustin Poirier at UFC 178, Conor McGregor looks to make a victorious comeback to the octagon as he once again takes on the Diamond. The first bout, fought at 145 pounds, represented a one-way street for the legendary Irishman who showcased his peculiar and raw talent by forcing a first-round stoppage. The second clash between the two will be held at 155 pounds. The rematch is scheduled for January 27th, at UFC 257. We’ll take a look at Conor’s chances of repeating the mentioned feat on the occasion.
The Notorious comes into the bout as a clear favorite
According to Americagambles, most US sportsbooks fancy Conor’s win here. You’ll find him at -185 these days, while Dustin Poirier is priced up at +185 at the same time. Most experts see the Irishman as a favorite here, too. However, we should by no means underestimate the man who has defeated the killers such as Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Max Holloway, and Dan Hooker in five of his last six fights.
Poirier is a perfect match for Conor
Many people argue that Dustin is currently by far a better fighter than he was six years ago. He has managed all of the aforementioned wins, but he still seems to lack something little extra that would push him straight to the stars. As much as you may love him, he is not at Conor’s or Khabib’s level.
Poirier was a beast even before the first bout against McGregor. However, his style suits the Irishman perfectly. Dustin has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but he does not stand a chance against the Notorious in the stand-up.
Justin Gaethje has even announced that he would love to fight the winner of this match to decide on an undisputed title.
Stellar showing against the Cowboy
Conor McGregor has not been in the octagon for almost 15 months after the loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. People were skeptical about his chances against Donald Cerrone a year ago, but the Notorious came up with a superb performance. Everyone looked at Conor’s left hand, but the Irishman struck his rival with his left leg this time.
A high kick in the chin sent Cerrone down just 40 seconds into the first round as Conor marked the return to the UFC in the best possible fashion. With all due respect to Poirier and his legacy, we would not be surprised to see a similar scenario happening this January. After all, a first-round stoppage is what happened when the two fighters first came across each other.