Dustin Poirier got the revenge he was craving against long-time respected rival Conor McGregor to level the score 1-1 between the two.
“Diamond” truly shone at UFC 257 on Fight Island and handed the Irishman his first-ever knockout loss.
McGregor was put on the back foot at the start of the fight as Poirier hunted after – and secured – a takedown. “Notorious” managed to work his way up back to his feet and landed some strikes in the clinch before some power punches to back Poirier up to end the round strong.
However, Poirier put in some early work with his calf kicks which went on to pay dividends in this contest.
The Louisianan continued to hammer McGregor’s lead leg with kicks that hampered the latter’s movement. Poirier then caught McGregor against the fence, a lot like how the former two-division UFC champion likes to launch his offense, and let loose with punching combinations that hurt McGregor.
A shovel right hook from Poirier sent McGregor crashing backwards to the canvas and the former interim lightweight champion threw another barrage of punches to secure the biggest win of his career.
UFC 257: Michael Chandler makes a statement on UFC debut with Dan Hooker knockout win
There was a lot of talk about champions of other organizations making below-par UFC debuts in the lead up to UFC 257. Michael Chandler put paid to any notion that he wasn’t ready for the Octagon and the upper echelons of the UFC’s stacked lightweight division.
Three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champion Chandler looked a man on a mission as he stalked the towering Dan Hooker.
Hooker landed leg kicks and knees up close to try and keep Chandler at bay but that wasn’t enough to stop the American.
Chandler was looked to land two-punch combinations against his larger opponent and that’s what scored him his first-round knockout victory.
A straight right to the body was followed by a looping left hook that flattened Hooker. Chandler pounced on his fallen foe and launched a volley of punches to secure the debut victory.
UFC 257: Joanne Calderwood gets decision win over Jessica Eye
Joanne Calderwood reinserted herself in the UFC women’s flyweight title picture with a comprehensive unanimous decision win against former title challenger Jessica Eye on Fight Island.
Eye looked to fight up close in the clinch with Calderwood, but it was the latter who kept coming off better in each striking exchange.
The Scottish striker was able to land punches, elbows and knees from the clinch and land punches and kicks at range as her striking output was far more frequent and accurate than her opponent’s.
Calderwood deservedly got the unanimous decision awarded to her with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 after three hard-fought rounds.
UFC 257: Makhmud Muradov gets TKO win over Andrew Sanchez
Makhmud Muradov is a name to watch out for in the UFC middleweight division.
The Uzbekistan native put a beating on The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 winner Andrew Sanchez on the UFC 257 main card en route to earning his third UFC victory.
Muradov started the fight with a steady stream of leg kicks in the first round, before landing some punches that hurt Sanchez in the second.
He then kicked things up a gear for the third and final round. Muradov hammered Sanchez with a right hand before launching into a flying knee that clearly compromised the American.
Hurt, Sanchez never crumpled as Muradov bombarded him with follow-up punches against the fence, but referee Jason Herzog rightly called the fight off before any further undue punishment was delivered.
Muradov is now unbeaten in 14 fights.
UFC 257: Marina Rodriguez scores upset win over Amanda Ribas
Amanda Ribas was one of the names that emerged from a memorable 2020 as a fighter to watch in the future, but fellow Brazilian Marina Rodriguez didn’t seem to listen to any of the hype.
Ribas started the contest strongly, securing a takedown against her compatriot and spending most of that opening round on top and in control while down on the canvas.
Rodriguez reversed the course of the fight in the second round with a belting counter right hook.
Ribas then received a further stream of strikes while downed and referee Herb Dean looked like he was going to call the fight off. He didn’t and Rodriguez had to resume the beating she was handing Ribas after initially, mistakenly, walking off in celebration. Dean soon stepped in after Ribas was hurt but another punch to hand Rodriguez a stunning victory.
UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor II full results
- Lightweight: Dustin Poirier def. Conor McGregor by TKO (punches) at 2:32 of round two
- Lightweight: Michael Chandler def. Dan Hooker by TKO (punches) at 2:30 of round one
- Women’s Flyweight: Joanne Calderwood def. Jessica Eye by unanimous decision after three rounds
- Middleweight: Makhmud Muradov def. Andrew Sanchez by TKO (flying knee and punches) at 2:59 of round three
- Women’s Strawweight: Marina Rodriguez def. Amanda Ribas by TKO (elbow and punches) at 0:54 of round two
- Catchweight: Arman Tsarukyan def. Matt Frevola by unanimous decision after three rounds
- Middleweight: Brad Tavares def. Antônio Carlos Júnior by unanimous decision after three rounds
- Women’s Bantamweight: Julianna Peña def. Sara McMann by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:39 of round three
- Light Heavyweight: Marcin Prachnio def. Khalil Rountree Jr. by unanimous decision after three rounds
- Catchweight: Movsar Evloev def. Nik Lentz by split decision after three rounds
- Flyweight: Amir Albazi def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov by unanimous decision after three rounds
