5 fights of Conor McGregor which showed his left hand prowess

We're less than 3 weeks away from the biggest fight in the history of the UFC, where Conor McGregor returns after nearly 2 years out of the sport to take on undefeated Russian, Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title that 'The Notorious One' never lost.

There is a lot of bad blood in this one, stemming all the way back to when Nurmagomedov confronted McGregor's teammate, Artem Lobov during the UFC 223 fight week which consequently led to that infamous bus incident.

Beside that, there is the fact that these are two of the greatest to ever compete in the octagon, and with such contrasting styles, it is nearly impossible to predict how this one will unfold.

Nurmagomedov brings into this an unbelievable level of wrestling, arguably the best the UFC has ever seen. It is also well documented the Irishman doesn't cope all that well on the mat, however, he more than makes up for it on his feet, and that is of course where every fight starts.

It only takes one shot from 'The Notorious' to end it with that deadly left hand of his, and that is what we are going to be looking at now. These are 5 fights that showed the power he possesses with that weapon.

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#5 Dustin Poirier

Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier

At number 5 we have gone for the knockout of current top lightweight contender, Dustin Poirier. These two men met 4 years ago at featherweight during McGregor's run to the title. The contest lasted less than two minutes, before the surging Irishman landed a picture-perfect left hand behind Poirier's right ear which was enough to finish it.

This victory was made even more impressive as it was the first time 'The Diamond' had been knocked out in his career. Many believe that the contest would be a lot closer now, and with Poirier's impressive run, will we see these two men meet once more at the top of the lightweight division?

#4 Eddie Alvarez

Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez

This was the last time we saw 'The Notorious' inside the octagon, and it was arguably the best version of himself as well. Many experts pegged this as a 50/50 contest given Alvarez's high level wrestling, but it was anything but.

McGregor stuffed every attempted take-down and picked 'The Underground King' apart on the feet. 'The Notorious' scored three knockdowns with that coveted left hand, before putting Alvarez away with a slick 4-punch combo midway through the second round to become the first man to hold two UFC titles simultaneously.

#3 Ivan Buchinger

Conor McGregor celebrating victory over Ivan Buchinger

From one historic night to another. At number 3 we have one of the most satisfying knockouts you are ever going to see. It is also the punch that landed the Irishman in the UFC.

Similar to number 4, McGregor came into this one as the featherweight champion, looking to become the lightweight champion as well, but this time, with Cage Warriors. 'The Notorious' of course did that and became the first man to hold two titles at the same time with that organisation too.

The victory came by way of knockout after slipping an oncoming right hand from Buchinger and then putting him to sleep with a perfectly timed left hand, showing he has serious one-punch knockout power. After this fight, McGregor was signed by the UFC and the rest as they say, is history.

#2 Chad Mendes

Conor McGregor landing the crucial blow to Chad Mendes

Number 2 is a very significant one as his opponent here, Chad Mendes is arguably the most similar to his next opponent, Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Irishman spent the majority of this fight on his back as he was up against an elite level wrestler in Mendes.

However, McGregor was still dangerous despite this, landing some very nasty elbows from the bottom. When 'The Notorious' did manage to get up it wasn't long before he landed that left (pictured above) to end it and become the UFC featherweight interim champion, setting up a huge match-up against then current featherweight king, Jose Aldo.

#1 Jose Aldo

Conor McGregor's 13-second KO of Jose Aldo

Number 1 is, you guessed it, that famous 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo. Similar to the upcoming one, this was also touted as the biggest fight in the history of the UFC.

Aldo came into this one undefeated in 10 years, but that didn't stop McGregor putting him away with the left hand, the first of which he threw, again showing his deadly one-punch knockout power. Can 'The Notorious' recreate this on October 6? Either way, it is sure to be a classic and cannot be missed.