(L-R) Opponents Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor pose face off for media during the UFC 257 press conference event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 21, 2021 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier faceoff in a trilogy bout on the 10th of July at UFC 264
Poirier evened the score recently, on one of the most heated rivalries in the UFC’s lightweight division. ‘The Diamond’ knocked out McGregor at UFC 257 to make it 1-1.
The pair’s rivalry dates back to September 2014 at UFC 178. McGregor had made light work of Poirier, knocking him out in the very first round.
At UFC 257, Poirier showed up as the more improved and matured fighter. The Irishman was clueless to Poirier’s powerful calf kicks, which largely affected his mobility.
A rematch was agreed in the immediate aftermath of UFC 257, and was later made official a few months later. McGregor and Poirier are now set to face off in a trilogy fight in front of a full house in Las Vegas on the 10th of July.
American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez had his say on the super-clash at UFC 264. Speaking to Niall McGrath of Talking Brawls, Mendez claimed that it was hard to choose the winner, this time.
He went on to say that McGregor would have surely rectified the mistakes that cost him the match, last time.
Mendez told McGrath:
“That’s a tough one…I don’t think Dustin is going to be afraid of getting hit by him and I think that could be a problem; I don’t know who I favour and I just know that it definitely would not be the same fight, and I definitely see Dustin not afraid of his power. And, I definitely don’t see Conor playing the same thing he did last time, allowing himself to be kicked in the calf.”
Poirier’s leg kicks were primarily the reason for McGregor’s loss. The Irishman, in fact, was landing the cleaner strikes even seconds before he lost. But the only mistake he committed was -failing to check the calf kicks.
The calf kicks took a toll on his movements and had him worn out below the abdomen.
Mendez also spoke about the importance of the calf kicks and explained how a lot of people have realized its importance, especially after the McGregor fight.
Coach Mendez said:
“A lot of people realized what a dangerous weapon that is. A lot of people are trying to defend that low calf kick. If you notice the fights, we see a lot of people are doing the smart thing – they are avoiding it.”
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