Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier 1: What happened when they fought at UFC 178?

Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier faced each other for the first time back in 2014 in a bout which was won by the Irishman in the first round. The fight had a heated buildup, with Conor getting into the head of Dustin ahead of the fight.

Poirier was by far highest-ranked fighters Conor had fought back in 2014, but his stock rose higher when he made light work of Poirier.

The fight saw a very emotional Poirier. As the fighters squared off ahead of the first round, McGregor beckoned Poirier only for the American to slap his hand away.

However, the American had some success even in the first fight. Poirier used leg kicks to try and slow down the Irishman before having to abandon the plan due to McGregor's pressure.

Dustin Poirier celebrates after recieving the title

McGregor's game plan, as always, revolved around his left hand.

McGregor pressed the pace cutting off the cage with spinning wheel kicks to make Poirier circle to his left. Once the Irishman's pressure started to tell on Poirier, the American had to get McGregor's respect by having to throw long single strikes.

McGregor, being the great counter fighter he is, knew that a slip and left counter is all it takes for him to win the fight. The Irishman quickly picked up the weakness in Poirier's high guard that left him susceptible to hooks behind his hand.

The fight finished with a 1-3, or a jab, left-hook, behind the ear of Poirier which disturbed the American's equilibrium. That was Poirier's last fight in the Featherweight division.

Both fighters have gone on to have great careers and now they meet again at UFC 257. McGregor is coming off a morale boosting 40-second win against Donald Cerrone in 2020 while Poirier enters following hard-fought win over Dan Hooker. The winner could be the first in line for the Lightweight title.