UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier spoke out following his statement TKO win over Conor McGregor in the main event for UFC 257. ‘The Diamond’ handed McGregor his first loss via strikes in MMA and truly captured the attention of the world. While Dustin’s skillset was never in question, not many fans could have envisioned McGregor slumped over cage side.

The end came at 02:32 of the second round after Poirier had put in some much-needed spadework. The Louisiana native invested in leg kicks that began to heavily chip away at McGregor’s base, making him off-centered. Chiefly, it was this investment in leg kicks that ultimately led to the opportunity to land a crippling barrage of strikes.

Dustin Poirier’s clinical breakdown of UFC 257 victory

The former interim champion provided a comprehensive breakdown of his win. Standing beside his Head Coach Mike Brown, Poirier did a deep dive into the actual impact of leg kicks in the fight.

Poirier said, “I kick hard and Conor’s wide stance we thought it would be hard to check. I started kicking through his check because he wasn’t checking correctly, it was still the muscle part of his calf. He wasn’t turning his chin all the way outward, so it wasn’t chin to chin. Even when he checked, he was getting the bad part of the kick.”

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Coach @mikebrownmma had a perfectly simple answer for why he thought calf kicks would be a key for @DustinPoirier against Conor McGregor at #UFC257 😅 (via @bokamotoESPN)

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3:23 PM · Jan 24, 2021

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“I know from experience, I’ve been crippled with those kicks by Jim Miller, I’ve been hurt by them a few times. The swelling in your calf it has no way to go, it’s not like a thigh where it spreads out. That’s when you have compartment syndrome, the swelling gets stuck in pockets and it’s so painful.”

Conor McGregor: Necessary Corrections

Heading into the contest, there was a conversation surrounding the possible and probable impact of using leg kicks on McGregor. As Dustin noted, the Irishman’s wide stance makes him a sitting target for limb destruction. Moreover, Conor McGregor will have to be wary of leg attacks going forward, as future opponents will certainly turn to that as an option.

Additionally, it’s back to the drawing board for the former ‘champ-champ’ as he’s not in line for contention anymore. There is no shortage of fights for him and he’ll be keen to come back with a statement performance.

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