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Talking exclusively to Sportskeeda about the upcoming UFC 257 main event between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, former UFC Welterweight Dan Hardy shared his idea of how the fight could go if brought to the ground.
Currently an MMA analyst and color-commentator with BT Sports, Hardy dissected the strategies that could be used by Poirier to surprise Conor McGregor. However, the former Welterweight believes that The Notorious One could have a few tricks up his sleeve as well.
If 'The Diamond' is able to defend from Conor McGregor's left hand successfully, Hardy said he would not be shocked to see the Irishman changed his gameplan to grappling.
"One thing that we can't discount as well, and I know we do not see a great deal of it, [but], if [Poirier]'s low kicks are successful, this might change [Conor McGregor]'s route of attack. We might see him start to wrestle. And I think that everybody's still underestimating his grappling game," analyzed Hardy. "What I've seen from it, you know, the takedowns that he landed on Max Holloway, his ability to control people, pass the guard on the floor. There's no doubt that going through a Khabib training camp, working on all that takedown defense, every facet of his grappling is going to be improved. I don't know if he is going to want to expend energy doing it, but certainly, if he feels like he's railroaded into that, I think we're going to see improvements in that range as well."
Asked if he thinks that Poirier will concentrate uniquely on Conor McGregor's left hand and could be taken aback by a different tactic adopted by the former two division champion, Hardy highlighted that McGregor has a versatile toolbox at his disposal. The MMA analyst considers that his kicks should be a great point of concern to Poirier too.
"I think that's a good observation. I think that all the focus on the left hand is going to leave other targets available. And we know that McGregor has got a great kicking game. I think there's a vulnerability for him [Poirier] there getting too overenthusiastic and running out to one of those front kicks or knees to the body. And that's, I mean, it might not be the finishing tactic, but it certainly might drop it, it might get a TKO on the floor. So yeah, absolutely. If he just focuses entirely on the left hand, he might be neglecting all the other weapons that McGregor has, and he's kicking game is formidable. There's no doubt it can be impactful for finishes as well," remarked Hardy.
What are Dustin Poirier's chances of defeating Conor McGregor?
Conor McGregor is expected to win the bout in the first or second round. However, if the fight goes beyond that, the favoritism could quickly swap sides.
The Irishman has a notorious fatigue issue. Conor McGregor only went through the third round in two out of the 26 matches of his career. It is not that Dustin Poirier is a late-stage fighter either, but he definitely has the advantage once the fight goes past the 15-minute mark.
When asked how he expects to see the bout unfolding, Dan Hardy explained that Poirier might try to drag the fight into the fourth or fifth round. That is if Conor McGregor cannot finish the battle in the first few minutes.
"I don't think it's too simple for Poirier to get through the first couple of minutes. I mean, those first two minutes, those first 90 seconds, are key. [But] those first 10 minutes are going to be difficult with McGregor. And even the third, [the] fourth round, are going to be difficult if Poirier doesn't make it work," examined Hardy. "It is a steady increase of pressure over the rounds, and I was trying to figure out a way of explaining this the other day, and for me, it's like: The first round is kind of eighty percent in McGregor's favor. [The] second round 70 percent in his favor. Third round, 60 percent, and he kind of loses about 10% per round, and that still only gets Poirier into 50/50 in the last round. So, it's a case of him [Poirier] slowly accumulating work through those rounds, even if he's losing the rounds to McGregor."
UFC 257: Conor McGregor versus Dustin Poirier 2 is set to happen on January 23 in Abu Dhabi. The night's co-main event will be another lightweight bout between Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker.
BT Sport Box Office will show UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 exclusively live from 3 am on Saturday, January 23. UFC 257 can be watched on BT TV, Virgin TV, Sky, online via the web, or the BT Sport Box Office App and is available to buy at ww.bt.com/sportboxoffice.
