UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2 - Jan 23 🇦🇪 🏝

[Kfogg1991]

11 minutes ago, Suplex Sinner said:

Thank you very much for the recommendations. There is an awful lot about him that I don't know so that opinion I have of him probably isn't a fair one - it's also not a fair reflection of the individual or his abilities. 

I'll search for them and that will be my afternoon/early evening viewing sorted. Tyson Fury was someone else I initially held in low regard because of the headlines, notoriety and obscene amounts of money involved but one interview I saw changed it completely. I went and read up on him, watched his interviews and different bits and pieces and he's now one of my favourite sports persons. I'm thinking that there might be some similarities with Connor McGregor. 

Oh dude I actually 100% get you with regards to Tyson fury. I don't watch boxing and as a stand alone sport It bores me so I'm not at all knowledgeable about any names really bar the big ones that pop up everywhere and on TV shows like a league of their own and Jonathan Ross ext. But I had heard bits and pieces about Tyson fury and some of the weird and wonderful things he has done at press conferences ext and in the media with his drink and drug habits. So I didn't have much of a high regard for him, until I saw his interview on the Russell Howard hour of all places and he spoke out about his mental health issues and I thought wow that is a really interesting and open interview that really moved me and I've been a fan ever since. I would have to add I'm much more a fan of him as a person and I'm currently reading his first book which talk's really openly and honestly about everything including his mental health issues and because of that I will more than likely be watching his fight with Anthony Joshua this year if it does happen anyways. 

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

23 minutes ago, wandshogun09 said:

. Dana’s already been trying to excuse Conor losing and mentioning the trilogy. Seems like the bollocks narrative they’re going to go with this time will be a combination of Conor’s ‘I was rusty/wasn’t active enough going in’ and Dana’s already started with the ‘this was like Rocky 3’ bit, as if to say Conor lost because he’s living the high life and losing his eye of the tiger or some shite.

It’s all a load of cack and it’s predictable as fuck. The truth is he looked as dangerous as ever early in the fight and he absolutely blasted Dustin with some hard shots.

Yeah, I don't buy the ring rust excuse for a second. Might have been something to lean on if he had an all-round bad performance, but McGregor won R1 and looked damn good in doing so. Plus he was able to get up after Poirier grounded him and prevent much further grappling success, so he had more going for him than the punching power.

In the last 6 years, I think Dustin's improved more by being more active. Also, Poirier has gone through some wars and come out strong on the other side. I saw mentioned on Twitter that all Conor's losses have come from people that didn't bow to his attack and were able to fire back. McGregor seems to lack that ability to come back from adversity once the tide gets turned on him. Poirier adjusted beautifully in the second round and Conor had no answer.

[Dzeko10]

Woke up at half 5 and found a stream just in time for the main event, man Poirier got it done! 

Just seen the Chandler fight, fairplay didn't expect a quick KO like that. 

[wandshogun09]

11 minutes ago, Dzeko10 said:

Woke up at half 5 and found a stream

 

[ColinBollocks]

The rusty excuse done my head in. Maybe he was rusty, maybe, but that's Conor's fault, surely? Dana would have loved to have Conor fighting 3 fights a year for the past 3/4 years but Conor has been picking and choosing his opportunities since he got that Mayweather pay day. I have very little sympathy for him. As far as I'm aware he's only had one proper injury during that time too, so he's been available.

Conor needs to realise he can't have his cake and eat it. If he wants this one fight a year deal for a pay day, then ignore this title contender shite and just give us the silly fights.

I don't see how this Conor ever beats the very best in what is maybe the best division in the history of the sport.

Edited January 24, 2021 by ColinBollocks

[thevestofdeanambrose]

Cant believe him and his team didn't prepare for the calf kicks, it's madness. Every analyst I watched before the fight brought them up. Just pure arrogance and then act shocked like you didn't expect to be hit with one of your opponents best weapons. This is not the same fighter he once was.

As mentioned you cant expect to fight 4 times in 4 years and compete with the best lightweights in the world. The game moved pass Mcgregor and he decided to be a mental case instead of fighting for a legacy and has paid the price since the Mayweather fight. 

[Dzeko10]

13 minutes ago, wandshogun09 said:

 

I seen in Dana's presser, his 'streamer' that he was going to get arrested posted a statement that he is not streaming this weekend and to buy the PPV basically.

Usual Dana bollocks as predicted.

[Kfogg1991]

Yeah I absolutely agree with what you said there with people making excuses for Conor and saying well it's because he's not been as active ext ext. I think it's actually more the case that while Conor has been fucking about doing 1 fight in a year, Retiring, Trying to get another worthless fucking boxing fight that he has no hopes of winning at all, And all the while guy's like Dustin ext has remained active and training extensively getting better and concentrating on being the best he can be and a genuine title contender based on his hard work and wins. Whereas Conor has relied on his previous achievements and his name value to do what he has done and be in and out of the UFC and not doing what the rest of the roster has done. 

There was a massive amount riding on this fight and Conor needed the win not only to go on and potentially get the title fight even though he didn't really deserve it but now he has gained yet another loss but this time he can't really use those arguments he has made to let him come back into the company and leapfrog over all those worthy/hardworking/loyal/dedicated full time fighters and finds himself in a position where he needs to stick to the plan he made last year with wanting to have 3/4 fights in the year but now he needs to go in there and get wins because I think he is now at a really dangerous point in his career in the UFC and another loss or losses this year will completely destroy the Conor McGregor machine completely and there will be no coming back. I'm listening to the review podcast by Bloody elbow and they just made a fantastic point with this loss.
They said for Conor his previous losses have been by submission meaning he still had that aura about him being untouchable in the stand up and him being beaten by knock out is almost unthinkable. Well that just happened so he has lost that aura making him just another big power punch fighter but the he can't be beaten in a stand up fight has been lifted now. 

It's such a weird place to be when your talking about arguably the biggest name in the UFC's history. But this is all his own doing, There is no excuse for it all this is down to his own doing and even the most diehard Conor McGregor fans are going to struggle to make a good valid argument for him. 

[jimufctna24]

Moving away from McGregor a second. 

In less than 3 years, Poirier has done the following:

- Stopped Eddie Alvarez.

- Stopped Justin Gaethje in a proper tear up. 

- Won a clear decision over Holloway by showing tremendous heart in the final round.

- Knocked out McGregor inside 2 rounds.

All of these are top-level wins. Funnily enough, it's the Holloway victory, the only 1 of the 4 where he didn't win via stoppage, that's probably his most impressive performance. 

You would be hard-pressed to find a better resume than that over the past 3 years or so. He isn't the best fighter in the world, but he's quite easily in the top 10 and has solidified his position as one of the greatest MMA lightweights of all-time. 

He's also the second best fighter at ATT ;)

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by jimufctna24

[wandshogun09]

All that Jim, and then you look at how Khabib handled Poirier right smack in the middle of that crazy run and coming directly off that Holloway performance. It’s nuts.

It’s funny, Dana seems fine with Khabib retiring now the McGregor rematch has gone down the shitter.

 

[poetofthedeed]

This ufc whitewashing of mcgregor as a class act is hilarious. Chap's a scumbag. 

[sukhy]

Dustin's gameplan was spot on, survive the onslaught in the first round, and you've got a huge chance of putting Conor away. He beat the shit out of his lead leg, took away any movement he had (which was a lot less than previous, that bouncy style Conor had has gone) and then went straight to the head.

Saw a post on Sherdog, which clipped Conor going for the takedown after he was rocked by Poirier, the same takedown he attempts vs Nate Diaz when he got choked out.

https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/conor-seems-to-be-going-for-a-panic-takedown-but-got-caught-with-the-ko-punch-instead-video.4158970/

As Nate Diaz so eloquently put it "so you're a wrestler now?" 

 

Chandler looked incredible, really did push a high pace and that knockout shot was insane. Good promo as well, exactly what was needed.

Charlie Olives vs Dustin for the belt?

Edited January 24, 2021 by sukhy

[WeeAl]

McGregor got outclassed by a fighter that's still in his prime, and probably the second best lightweight out there, in Dustin Poirier. He can get to fuck with the ring rust excuse. Head-up-the-assitis is the disease he has. 

It has the feel of a mini tournament, with Poirier and Chandler for the vacant belt making sense. I wouldn't have a problem with Dustin/Oliveira being for the belt and Chandler Vs Gaethje happening at some point though. 

McGregor Vs Ferguson or Diaz seem like reasonable ideas for him. No interest in McGregor Vs Poirier 2 at this point but I wouldn't be shocked if that happens soon enough. 

Dan Hooker needs some time off I think. I feel for him after that. I didn't like his game plan at all, he gets starched, and now he can't go home and see his family until the end of February. The man is a warrior, but he's taken a lot of damage and probably needs a bit of time away to rest/re-evaluate. 

Chandler couldn't have asked for a better night. It went perfectly for him, including that post fight promo. Talk about taking your moment. 

Staying up all night does have an impact on the enjoyment factor I think. The main card had two big stoppages before it even got to the co-main, yet it felt like it took a long time to get there. I much prefer getting up early to watch the fights, or even better, having more of them scheduled at the same time as that Holloway/Kattar show from last week! That was like heaven. 

Edited January 24, 2021 by WeeAl

[Bus Surfer]

Glad we got to see that 'Motivated Conor McGregor' last night. 

Dustin fought a perfect fight all in all. The takedown served as a nice surprise to the upset the motion early doors and the calf kicks all but rendered Conor useless after the first round. Much will be debated about Conor's ability but Dustin made him look absolutely ordinary out there. It honestly looked an easy night for him. A far cry from some of the wars he's been in recently. 

I'm not really arsed who he fights for the title as the top of 155 is guaranteed fireworks regardless so it'll be fun to see how it unfolds. 

As for McGregor, it's all diminishing returns from this point onwards. His whole act is based on his self belief, being a bully in the cage and having that ferocious KO power. It will be a hard sell after being TKO'd for the first time and looking very much sub par. I can see them doing the Nate trilogy to try and make as much coin as possible before the horse is dead. 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by Silky Kisser

[Zebra Kid Mark]

Michael Chandler arrived in the most spectacular fashion, he got it done in quick time and then cut a promo that will be used in every one of his video packages in the future. The first 30 seconds of the fight I was worried by how small he was and how imposing Hooker was. I thought it was going to be a long night for him with Hooker just touching him on the outside for 3 straight rounds. I also feared a possible knee to his chin. Thankfully, my worries were redundant and he blasted him into the ground. You can't get a better debut than that.

Dustin winning was the cherry on the top, I had him winning the fight was made but the media and experts were all counting him out. He didn't care, he got in there and made it count.
From watching the post fight press conference, I'm a bit sad to see that he has no interest in the Chandler fight, him saying he would rather sit out and sell hot sauce than fight him for he title was unlike him. I get he hasn't paid his dues like Dustin but Chandler made light work of a guy it took Dustin 25 minutes to gruel out a victory against. They both more than deserve a title fight so it's sad that one of them doesn't want it.