Dustin Poirier gives his verdict on how Conor McGregor did against UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier gave an honest assessment of how he thought Conor McGregor did in his title fight against reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

After over a year of pursuing other ventures outside of the UFC, McGregor made his Octagon return back in October of 2018 to challenge Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound championship. Earlier that year, the unbeaten Nurmagomedov had claimed the title which, was vacated by McGregor due to inactivity.

The McGregor-Nurmagomedov clash had a ton of backstory behind it, making it one of the most highly-anticipated fights in UFC history. As expected, the fight delivered.

Nurmagomedov dominated McGregor on the ground, and even had some of moments in the standup, including a second-round knockdown. McGregor rallied back in the third round and began to out-strike Nurmagomedov, making things a bit more interesting. In the fourth round however, Nurmagomedov finished things off with a neck crank, forcing McGregor to tap out.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Dustin Poirier shared his thoughts on McGregor's performance against Khabib:

"I think he showed good takedown defense in the open against Khabib when Khabib shot. Conor was good on the head pressure, butt-dragging hard, making Khabib work."

On this day, one of the biggest fights in UFC history went down at #UFC229 🔥Relive an unforgettable night as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor finally got in the Octagon together 💪 pic.twitter.com/NvNKJFVEK6

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) October 6, 2020

Dustin Poirier suffered the same fate as Conor McGregor against Khabib Nurmagomedov

Almost a year after Conor McGregor fell short to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier would get his chance at becoming the UFC's 155-pound king.

From 2017 to 2019, Poirier went undefeated in the lightweight division, scoring wins over top contenders and former champions such as Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, and Justin Gaethje to earn a shot at the interim UFC lightweight championship.

Dustin Poirier outworked reigning UFC featherweight king Max Holloway to become the interim UFC lightweight champion and secure a title shot against reigning 155-pound king Nurmagomedov.

At UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, Poirier put on a valiant effort, but ultimately fell to Nurmagomedov in three rounds, losing via rear naked choke.

Currently the number 2-ranked lightweight contender, Poirer has another chance to claim UFC gold for himself, as he returns to action against McGregor at UFC 257 in January of 2021.

With Nurmagomedov now retired, Poirier and McGregor's lightweight rematch has serious title implications attached to it.

💎 Poirier v McGregor 🇮🇪How's the rematch going at #UFC257?

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) November 23, 2020