Tag: UFC 257

McGregor Opens Up On How His Mindset Entering UFC 257 Cost Him

After watching back the footage of his UFC 257 loss to Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor has now shared his musings with the world in great detail. At UFC 257, Dustin Poirier scored the major upset when he defeated Conor McGregor via TKO. Perhaps the bigg…

After watching back the footage of his UFC 257 loss to Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor has now shared his musings with the world in great detail. At UFC 257, Dustin Poirier scored the major upset when he defeated Conor McGregor via TKO. Perhaps the biggest story of the fight was Poirier’s implementation of leg kicks […]

Dustin Poirier Felt Max Holloway Win Was Bigger Than Conor McGregor

PoirierDustin Poirier feels his win over Max Holloway was bigger than his win over Conor McGregor. Poirier earned arguably the biggest win of his career after he knocked out McGregor in the second round of their UFC 257 headliner earlier this month. But despite being the first to knock the Irishman out in what was […]

Poirier

Dustin Poirier feels his win over Max Holloway was bigger than his win over Conor McGregor.

Poirier earned arguably the biggest win of his career after he knocked out McGregor in the second round of their UFC 257 headliner earlier this month.

But despite being the first to knock the Irishman out in what was a huge stage, Poirier doesn’t believe it was his biggest win. That goes to his UFC 236 unanimous decision victory over Holloway which earned him the interim lightweight title back in April 2019.

“I think beating Max Holloway and getting the interim belt (was bigger),” Poirier told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani (via Middle Easy). “It’s tough to say man. (With the McGregor win), I’ve kind of been, the travel and all the people reaching out, I’ve just been kind of numb with it all.

“With the Max Holloway thing, flying back with that belt, going through the airport with the belt, coming back home to Louisiana, that felt bigger to me, for some reason.”

That said, he is open to a trilogy with McGregor now that the score is tied at one apiece though his priority remains a title fight.

“I mean, it’s 1-1. I knocked him out, he knocked me out,” Poirier added. “The rubber match, it does make sense. I think I’m most deserving to be in a title fight out of these guys, but I don’t know who it’s going to be against, when, where, what’s going on.”

However, Poirier is open to Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler fighting for the title as well if the UFC doesn’t offer him a sensible next option.

What do you think is next for Poirier? And do you agree that Holloway was a bigger win than McGregor?

Dan Hooker: Loss to Chandler Was Beyond A Worst-Case Scenario

Dan Hooker has struggled to find the words to describe his disappointment at his loss to Michael Chandler, but he is intent on moving forward. Dan Hooker has had a week to process his first-round TKO loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 257 and has addresse…

Dan Hooker has struggled to find the words to describe his disappointment at his loss to Michael Chandler, but he is intent on moving forward. Dan Hooker has had a week to process his first-round TKO loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 257 and has addressed the media for the first time following the event. […]

Thiago Alves Breaks Down Dustin Poirier Calf Kick Strategy Against Conor McGregor

PoirierCalf kicks were a big part of the strategy for Dustin Poirier against Conor McGregor according to Thiago Alves. Poirier enjoyed arguably the biggest win of his career after knocking McGregor out in the second round of their UFC 257 headliner last weekend. A major factor in the fight were the calf kicks of Poirier […]

Poirier

Calf kicks were a big part of the strategy for Dustin Poirier against Conor McGregor according to Thiago Alves.

Poirier enjoyed arguably the biggest win of his career after knocking McGregor out in the second round of their UFC 257 headliner last weekend.

A major factor in the fight were the calf kicks of Poirier which destabilized McGregor and ultimately led to him getting caught and eventually finished.

And former UFC welterweight title challenger and current American Top Team coach Thiago Alves — known for his brutal leg kicks back in the day — broke down the game plan in a recent interview.

“It was one of the strategies for this fight,” Alves told MMA Junkie. “Dustin is a complete fighter. We know that he can be superior in the standup, in the grappling, and in the wrestling, as well.

“So we came up with a good gameplan – me, Mike Brown and coach Dyah Davis, his boxing coach. The calf kicks, the leg kicks were definitely one of the weapons that Dustin was able to use, but we had a lot of ways to get the job done.

“… We know that it was a very good possibility, especially because of the way Conor McGregor stands, you know, that wide karate style with great boxing. But we know how much damage the calf kicks cause. It’s something that doesn’t just go away, and it just stays with you. It makes you slower. So it was definitely one of the weapons we knew Dustin could be successful with.”

McGregor notably claimed after the fight that his right leg was dead as he needed crutches to walk following the event. Alves knows full well the damage leg kicks can cause as he has dished out his own share of punishment to fighters over the years with his kicking.

And he explained just how bad it can get.

“Your whole leg is completely dead, and when you breathe, it hurts as well,” Alves added. “So it pretty much shoots a pain through out your whole leg and you’re not able to stand still. Every time when you put your foot on the ground, it’s super painful, so it’s very debilitating. It’s hard to move forward. It’s hard to impose your game plan.”

Perhaps more and more fighters will start to utilize leg kicks as part of their strategy.

What did you think of Poirier’s leg kicks against McGregor?

Report: UFC Received ‘Huge Figure’ From Abu Dhabi To Book Conor McGregor On Fight Island

McGregorUFC 257 was a big success for the promotion and Conor McGregor played a big role. The Irishman returned to action for the first time in just over a year as he faced Dustin Poirier in a rematch in the lightweight headliner last week. Although it didn’t go McGregor’s way as he was knocked out […]

McGregor

UFC 257 was a big success for the promotion and Conor McGregor played a big role.

The Irishman returned to action for the first time in just over a year as he faced Dustin Poirier in a rematch in the lightweight headliner last week.

Although it didn’t go McGregor’s way as he was knocked out in the second round, the event did extremely well with 1.6 million pay-per-view buys with 400,000 of those coming globally.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently touched on how big a number that was (via Bloody Elbow).

“That number would be a figure not including refunds, and while nobody knows the number, there were a significant number of people who asked for and got refunds. The ESPN+ number is legit. The international number is an estimate and an extremely generous one, but even at 1.5 million, the show was a huge success. Only the biggest boxing matches in history have ever topped it, and nothing but boxing and the one UFC fight in the history of PPV have ever even been in the ballpark.

“The U.S. PPV revenue would have been roughly $84 million, so ESPN’s $200 million purchase of the rights for the year looks like a steal now.”

Additionally, Meltzer adds that the UFC received a huge figure to have McGregor feature in Abu Dhabi as opposed to his usual Las Vegas appearances.

“An interesting question, given the nature of the revenue, is if ESPN is kicking any money into McGregor or if it’s all coming from UFC, since the windfall he’s bringing is going to ESPN,” Meltzer added. “UFC got a huge figure from the Abu Dhabi government for its three shows over eight days, largely based on bringing in McGregor.”

The UFC and ESPN are certainly benefiting massively but it begs the question — just how much is McGregor being underpaid considering how huge a draw he has been for the promotion in recent years.

What do you make of Abu Dhabi paying the UFC a huge figure for McGregor to appear?

VIDEO | Poirier’s Wife Thanks McGregor For Charity Donation At UFC 257

Dustin PoirierDustin Poirier and Conor McGregor shared admiration towards each other leading up to their fight, and it appears that continued on afterwards. Poirier and McGregor headlined UFC 257 in a rematch from their fight in 2014. Poirier was able to turn the tables around this time though, scoring a second-round TKO as the underdog after […]

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor shared admiration towards each other leading up to their fight, and it appears that continued on afterwards.

Poirier and McGregor headlined UFC 257 in a rematch from their fight in 2014. Poirier was able to turn the tables around this time though, scoring a second-round TKO as the underdog after being knocked out in their first meeting. The two men were respectful in the immediate aftermath, and that carried on into the locker room as Poirier’s wife, Jolie, paid McGregor a visit. UFC cameras filming ‘UFC 257: The Thrill and the Agony‘ caught her thanking the brash Irishman for his $500,000 donation to The Good Fight Foundation.

“I just wanted to say thank you so much,” Poirier can be seen saying. “Thank you for everything. This is going to help change a lot of people’s lives.”

The Good Fight Foundation was started by the Poirier’s in 2017, after Dustin auctioned off his fight kit from his UFC 211 fight against Eddie Alvarez to help raise money. Since then, the organization has gone on to help underserved communities in Louisiana, from providing food security to healthcare and environmental disaster relief. Other UFC fighters have also offered their support to the charity. Khabib Nurmagomedov auctioned off the fight kit from his UFC 242 fight against Poirier for the charity, and Michael Chiesa has partnered with the charity for a sweepstakes, offering his fight kit and a private Zoom call as prizes.

What’s next for Poirier inside the octagon remains to be seen. UFC president Dana White seems to have resigned to the fact that Nurmagomedov is retired, which means it is likely he will finally take the lightweight championship off of him. Many believe Poirier’s next fight will be for the title, but many fighters have claimed they deserve to square off opposite him, and not all appear to interest Poirier that much.

As for McGregor, he said after the fight that inactivity left him feeling sluggish and he would like to be more active this year. As the UFC’s biggest star, a number of fights remain on the table for him, including trilogy fights with Poirier and Nate Diaz.

Donations to The Good Fight Foundation can be made on their website. Additionally, if you happen to have a lot of money burning a hole in your pocket, you can bid on Poirier’s UFC 257 fight kit.

Who do you think Dustin Poirier should face for the title? What’s next for Conor McGregor?