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Years before UFC 257, MMA legend Bas Rutten predicted how Dustin Poirier would beat Conor McGregor. Although Rutten didn't specifically name Poirier, he had asserted that McGregor could be defeated by attacking his lead leg with low kicks from the southpaw stance.
The first fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier transpired at UFC 178 in September 2014. McGregor won that fight via first-round TKO. However, McGregor and Poirier's rematch – which took place at UFC 257 (January 23, 2021) – saw Poirier defeat McGregor via second-round TKO.
Although Poirier finished the fight with beautiful boxing combinations, what set up the finish was his consistent attack on Conor McGregor's lead leg with low kicks (calf kicks). The MMA community has been praising Poirier, his game-plan, and performance ever since.
Additionally, a notable fight-analysis provided by Bas Rutten on an edition of the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast four years ago has now resurfaced on MMA forums across the internet.
As noted on r/MMA by u/authenticsociallife, combat sports legend Bas Rutten, in conversation with Joe Rogan on the JRE podcast, had laid out a similar strategy to what Poirier used at UFC 257. A few excerpts from Bas Rutten's statements are as follows:
“You know his stance, because he’s a southpaw. What I thought with Aldo was, if I was Aldo’s coach a year ago, I would have said ‘we’re going to train southpaw’ because there is no way that he can block those low-kicks. If left low-kicks come he can’t block ’em. His stance is too wide and his knees are pointing inside, he can’t block them. It changes the whole game.” (Quotes courtesy: u/authenticsociallife)
Bas Rutten referred to the UFC featherweight title unification matchup between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, and what strategy he would have had Aldo use to beat McGregor. Rutten spoke about low kicks, i.e. calf kicks, and how the southpaw McGregor’s wide stance would make it difficult for him to deal with those kicks if the opponent also fought from the southpaw stance.
Conor McGregor has previously displayed the will and skill to adapt
Intriguingly, in November 2020, Bas Rutten reiterated the aforementioned outside low kick strategy during an appearance on Submission Radio where he spoke about McGregor-Poirier 2. Fans can read his detailed analysis here.
That said, Conor McGregor has often displayed that he’s strong-willed and highly skilled in adapting to challenges and rectifying one’s mistakes.
In the aftermath of UFC 257, many in the combat sports world have discussed how Conor McGregor avenged his UFC 196 loss to Nate Diaz by adapting and using a different strategy in his UFC 202 win over Diaz. The Notorious One’s fans worldwide expect him to display his adaptability once again, use a better approach, and defeat Poirier in their potential trilogy bout.
