A couple of days to go and it will be another fistfight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. It's easy to say that McGregor will win the January 23 rematch since he knocked out Poirier at UFC 178 years ago. But the Irishman scoring another win will greatly depend not on the odds but his fighting skill and punching power.
In terms of talent, McGregor can surely take pride in the fact that he is one of the best seen in the MMA world and his superstar status is the best proof of that. Yet how strongly exactly were the strikes that The Notorious had unleashed in the past.
UFC rated McGregor's stopping power as only the second-best in the welterweight class but according to Talk Sport, the best source of assessment on the fighter's left shot should come from his former foes. On this, Poirier swore that the strikes he absorbed from the superstar were the hardest so far.
The American's words should be credible enough. After all, those punches that McGregor let out led to his defeat. Poirier had the first-hand experience.
It's the same way for Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the undefeated boxing legend tasted the force packed with McGregor's fist. Money said he felt the power with the blows he received from the UFC during their boxing match in 2017 but he was not exactly overwhelmed.
The power was there but Mayweather claimed it was not enough to stop him. And he is talking sense because that bout ended in his favor. The Las Vegas native got out of the ring with an unblemished record and his bank account hundreds of millions richer.
Mayweather's view was largely shared by other UFC fighters who had their chance to slug with the Irishman. They agreed that the MMA superstar has the power to pack on his fist but his winnability is not tied on that account.
McGregor's rise to stardom is due to his fighting tactics - he is smart and can extend the fight beyond the physical. Most importantly, The Notorious is fast and accurate with his strikes and these factors mattered big inside of the octagon.
So in fighting McGregor again, Poirier is aware that he cannot approach the rematch the way that he did in the first encounter. As recalled by Rolling Stone, Poirier found himself wrapped around McGregor's finger because the latter employed verbal and mental warfare. And the former did not see it coming.
Poirier promised that match No. 2 will see more blood, bruising, and blows early in the fight, and this will be true for both fighters. For him to win, the American said he needs to outsmart McGregor and he will not let emotion rule his game plan.
