Social media reacts after Conor McGregor suffers leg injury in loss to Dustin Poirier
Something had to give at UFC 264 on Saturday night. It turned out to be Conor McGregor's own body.
McGregor was attempting to prove he had his focus back by avoiding his third loss in his last four fights. Dustin Poirier was trying to prove that his defeat of McGregor six months ago wasn't a fluke.
It all set the table for a fiery show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and the action did not disappoint – though it was brief.
Both fighters pushed the action aggressively from the start, but ultimately, Poirier was the victor via TKO when McGregor suffered a gruesome leg injury at the end of the first round.
Though the bout was officially a TKO via doctor's stoppage due to the injury, Poirier controlled the first round and was ahead on all three judges' scorecards.
This was the third bout between Poirier and McGregor, the former champion at both the lightweight and featherweight levels. McGregor beat Poirier by first-round knockout at UFC 178 in 2014, but Poirier avenged that defeat with a second-round TKO at UFC 257 in January of this year. With the victory, Poirier improves to 28-6 in MMA, 20-5 in UFC, while McGregor drops to 22-6, 10-4.
UFC president Dana White has said the winner will fight for the UFC lightweight title next against champion Charles Oliveira.
Here are the top moments from Saturday night's match.
The entrances were almost a competition by themselves. Who had the most swagger?
Advantage, McGregor.
"Touch gloves if you wish at this time," the referee said. They did not.
The combatants did not come out tentatively, trading shots from the start.
Poirier appeared to rock McGregor with a solid left hand with about 3:30 left in the first round.
And he soon got McGregor onto his back and continued to rain blows.
Ultimately the bout ended with heartbreak, with McGregor appearing to break his ankle.
McGregor wanted to make it clear that he lost via doctor's stoppage, which ended up being the case.
Poirier said he thought McGregor broke his ankle on a kick earlier in the round.
In the end, it was a contrasting finish for the victor and the defeated.
The sports world reacted to the stunning result with shock, including Skip Bayless:
"Tonight, I cannot tell a lie. … He ain't [Dustin Poirier's] league anymore."
For more up-to-date news on all things UFC, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!
