'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgf/2gAIAQEAAAAAnif/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAECEAAAAH//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAEDEAAAAE//xAAcEAACAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAwIEBREAIUH/2gAIAQEAAT8Abetpzr4l8mtbagwuaBOfc962fOuZCraN+yZ5S8ZFst6mB7z/xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMx/9oACAECAQE/AILT/8QAFhEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANB/9oACAEDAQE/AHQ//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Such is the stardom of Conor McGregor that the Irishman has effectively transcended the sport of MMA. 'The Notorious' is an internationally famous sports celebrity. His fame is in part due to his ability to promote and sell a fight. McGregor will trash talk his opponents with a level of wordplay never seen in the UFC.
However, more often than not, Conor McGregor is able to back up his word with some incredible performances within the octagon. The Irishman has out-struck some of the UFC's all-time greats, including the likes of Jose Aldo, Eddie Alvarez, Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier.
McGregor is now only days away from his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier, and the MMA community is awash with predictions and theories of how it will play out. Considering both men have a win apiece, it is incredibly hard to pick a winner. But one thing is for sure, McGregor will go out there and put it all on the line.
In the following list, we will go over five unorthodox but effective techniques we might well see Conor McGregor utilize against Poirier in this much-anticipated rubber match.
#5 The bolo-punch/looping-uppercut
The bolo punch, aka the looping uppercut, is a strike that McGregor was incredibly fond of early in his UFC career. He can be seen utilizing it repeatedly against Marcus Brimage to great effect.
The strike often comes from peculiar angles, knocking the opponent's head back, which allows for instant follow-up punches with the opponent's defense momentarily broken.
This could be a great tool to utilize against Poirier, who had great success countering McGregor's more linear strikes. If the Irishman can disrupt Poirier's counter-striking game, he could place 'The Diamond' in serious trouble.
#4 Conor McGregor's lead leg sidekick
The lead leg sidekick is a strike perfectly suited to a fighter with a side-on stance such as McGregor's. While more traditional side stance users such as 'Wonderboy' Thompson will throw the lead leg sidekick at the body or head, McGregor prefers to throw it just above the knee.
This is a tool that was initially popularized by Jon Jones, though it has since been used to great effect by fighters such as Darren Till, Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero.
While a normal lead kick to the thigh or shin is done intending to deaden the leg, thus destabilizing the opponent, a sidekick can hyperextend the knee joint, essentially crippling the opponent. Jon Jones dealt huge damage to Thiago Santos with these strikes, and the Brazilian has never been the same since.
Considering the damage Poirier did with leg kicks in the rematch at UFC 257, this would be a fitting technique for McGregor to use in the rubber match.
#3 The spinning wheel kick
Despite its potentially devastating nature, the spinning wheel kick is not always thrown with the sole intention of knocking an opponent out.
McGregor has always been most comfortable when pressuring his opponents with their backs to the cage. Thus it is not surprising that they would want to circle out and move into the center of the octagon. The spinning wheel kick is an excellent tool for stopping an opponent in their tracks.
If Conor McGregor is to defeat Poirier, he must make it his fight, which means forcing 'The Diamond' up against the fence and then not allowing him off it. The spinning wheel kick could certainly be an effective tool to force such a scenario.
#2 The spinning back kick to the body
A vintage McGregor strike is the spinning back kick to the body. He used it against almost every opponent he faced while competing in the 145lb division, bar Aldo.
It allows McGregor to create distance and force his opponents back against the cage, which is exactly where the Irishman deals the most damage. In the clip below, McGregor can be attempting the spinning back kick within the first second of the fight against Chad Mendes, instantly establishing how the early exchanges of the bout would play out.
This could theoretically be a great tool to use against Poirier, who primarily evades incoming attacks with shoulder rolls.
#1 Conor McGregor's rear straight/The Celtic Cross
A rear straight is one of the most common punches used in MMA, which may make it a surprise number one pick for this list based around unorthodox strikers. However, the way in which McGregor throws it is almost entirely unique and has had some devastating results against past opponents.
When fighting from a southpaw stance, fighters typically throw a rear punch while their lead foot is on the outside of the opponent's stance. However, McGregor has adapted his left straight so that his lead leg is on the inside of his opponent's stance.
This changes the angle of his punch, often resulting in the victim of the strike no longer being in a position where they can step back. This causes a moment of instability or even occasionally knocks them down.
Another unique facet to this punch is that rather than stepping in as he throws the strike, McGregor will plant his feet but throw his shoulders forward. This is somewhat of a double-edged sword as it means his head is within range of a counter strike, which Poirier picked up on in the rematch. However, it does mean that McGregor's hips are in a much stronger position to defend against any potential takedown attempts.
