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Dustin Poirier secured a spectacular TKO victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 257. It was a back and forth battle, until the leg kicks of Dustin Poirier took their toll on the Irishman.
It was in the second round when Conor McGregor succumbed to the calf kicks thrown at him. The barrage of punches that followed resulted in the first TKO/KO loss of McGregor's career as a professional fighter.
Later, Conor McGregor admitted that the calf kicks caused immense agony as the fight advanced. Dustin Poirier's coach Thiago Alves cheered the calf kicks by the Diamond. Conor McGregor took note of this acclamation for Poirier by Alves and addressed it in the post-fight press conference.
Conor McGregor stated that he thought to himself that Thiago Alves was correct in making his observation. According to The Notorious One, the leg kicks seemed to have "sunk in".
Thiago Alves took to Twitter to respond to the Irishman's remarks at the post-fight press conference. The American Top Team coach is a UFC veteran himself and believes "it's all love" between the two teams competing at UFC 257.
Will Conor McGregor fight Dustin Poirier for a third time?
Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor are 1-1 after UFC 257. The two first fought each other at UFC 178 in 2014. Over half a decade later they clashed again in the first PPV main event of 2021. Now the question arises whether these two will lock horns for a third time in the octagon.
In the press conference following UFC 257, both Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier seemed to entertain a trilogy fight aginst each other. A backstage clip surfaced online where the two fighters can be seen having a candid exchange after their fight.
Here Conor McGregor can be seen congratulating Dustin for his victory. Poirier embraced the Irishman's compliments and the two shook on fighting for a third time in the octagon.
This chivalry between the two fighters is highly contrasting to the buildup for UFC 178. McGregor seemed to have gotten into the mind of Poirier with his pre-fight antics. The verbal jibes hurled at Dustin Poirier seemed to have made an effect on his performance. He seemed much more agitated during the buildup in 2014, as compared to this time.
It will be interesting to see if the two keep the same spirit of sportsmanship if they meet for a third time inside the cage.
