The world’s famous Irish fighter UFC Conor McGregor will fight with American Dustin Porier at the main event of a summer tournament named International Fight Week on July 11.
An Irishman beat an American in 106 seconds. He was on a fast path to the championship belt and became very popular. The rematch was announced in January and people were expecting a different fight, not only because of skills, but because of what the two rivals have done since then.
The history of confrontation between McGregor and Porier lasts more than 6.5 years – for the first time the fighters met in one octagon in late September 2014 at the UFC 178 tournament in Las Vegas, and then it was an ordinary fight of two rising stars.
What to expect from Conor McGregor and Dustin Porier
UFC lightweight Conor McGregor has transcended many boundaries since his arrival to this sport back in 2012. Not only did he manage to become a household name, but also won three belts, held the longest winning streak in the UFC history, and became the first foreigner to hold a belt on the US soil.
McGregor is a tough fighter. He became champion of two weight classes in the UFC. Porier was also a tough fighter and he made it to the championship belt that is an interim belt at the same time as McGregor was there.
Conor McGregor’s accomplishments:
- 2012 – CWFC featherweight and lightweight champion;
- 2013 – winner of the “Best Knockout of the Night” award;
- 2014 – winner of the World MMA Awards title;
- 2015 – interim UFC featherweight champion;
- 2016 – UFC Lightweight Champion;
- Six-time “Performance of the Night” award winner.
McGregor is considered to be one of three best UFC fighters along с Ronda Rousey and Tyron Woodley according to an official ranking published by ESPN on May 5, 2017 . Last December the Irish MMA fighter managed not only to defend his featherweight belt but also won the lightweight belt at the 170 lbs. limit once again stopping Eddie Alvarez in New York City at Madison Square Garden. McGregor has achieved all of this with a record 21 knockouts and no defeats.
UFC lightweight Dustin Porier turned 31 on May 19, 2017. He is ranked 15th in the official UFC lightweight rankings. According to the ESPN’s ranking of pound-for-pound fighters, he occupies the 116th place.
The American fought once with McGregor – at UFC 178 tournament held in Las Vegas last September 5, 2014 as part of undercard (on free fight the sports television channel FOX Sports 1) before the main event tournament (on pay-per-view).
Pre-fight breakdown of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Porter
UFC rarely gives fighters rematches, but Conor McGregor and Dustin Porier have a history. In 2014 Conor knocked out the young Porter with a signature thrashing and knockout in 106 seconds at UFC 178. Six-plus years later, Dustin had a chance to get even for the loss, which he gladly took, finishing McGregor at UFC 257 in a round and a half.
Experts were confident that Conor would win the second fight. They thought he would win, even though it was obvious that Porier had an advantage in certain ways. Diamond has not lost at a high level since 2016 and since then, he beat people like Anthony Pettis, Justin Gagey, Eddie Alvarez, Max Holloway and Dan Hooker.
Poirier (his opponent) was a regular fighter and he fought against many of the best fighters. He didn’t stop fighting, so he got stronger. In the rematch, Porier beat his opponent McGregor because he had grown stronger with practice and experience.
- Justin Gagey was the opponent in a fight. Dustin Porter felt the effectiveness of half-kicks, which are low kicks below the knee. In their rematch, he focused on those kicks and they were effective against Conor, who didn’t know how to fight them.
- At the fight with Khabib, Porier learned that even a high-class puncher needs to combine wrestling and standup. This makes their opponent uncomfortable. When he fought McGregor in a rematch, Porier delivered a strong hit which made him fall down at a comfortable pace. After this, Conor had to grapple instead of boxing.
- Fights with Card-carrying Max Holloway and Dan Hooker pumped Porter’s mentality. He now knows that he can fight and win even in the championship rounds.
Conor McGregor and Dustin Porier fight on July 11
The fighters were ready for the next fight after their fight. They want to finish the duel. The final round will happen on July 11 in Las Vegas, but there is not a date yet for UFC 264 tournament. This time, people will not have much respect for each other. People have been fighting online and the most important fight is coming up soon.
And this fight is also very good in terms of numbers: number six in the rankings of the best fighters regardless of weight classes against number 15, 40 early wins (32 KO/TKO) and 22 bonus points for both of the best fights/shows/knockouts and submissions of the night.
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