The Trilogy- Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor

The Bruce Lee disciple or the best boxer in the UFC!

The double champ or the ultimate underdog!

We will come to know soon enough when the bell rings at the T- Mobile Arena, Sunday, July 10th. The six months between the January fight and this, feels like an eternity!

Chapter 1: The King Arrives!!!

It all started back in 2014 when "The Notorious" and "Diamond" first met in 2014 when a young Irishman was making more noise than ever in the history of the sport.?

He had proven that he was 'not all hype' but had not been tested against a top 10 fighter.?Dustin at the time had the highest number of finishes at featherweight.?

Conor opened with a hook kick 4 seconds into the match and managed his distance well as soon as the round began.?

Less than 2 minutes in, Conor clipped him with a left hook behind the ears and it was lights out for Dustin. He took 4 more shots before Herb Dean had to intervene.

"The Mystic Mac" was absolutely calm during the fight as usually he is. Water.?

The fight by all means was over before the bell even rang. Even Dustin admits he was mentally strained at the time of the fight. He felt like the world was plotting against him.?One can understand how that played a part in how the fight went by.?

The two fighters would go on to achieve great heights in the sports in the years to come.?

Conor becoming the first ever double champ in UFC history and Dustin getting his hands at the interim gold.?But the story had just begun!

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Chapter 2: The Redemption!

The fight week for the second fight did not nearly have the animosity of the first bout; they were literally posing for Dustin's hot sauce together!

Khabib had beaten both the fighters but the key thing was that 'The Eagle' had vacated the division after his 3rd successful title defense against Justin Gaethje, who himself had come after a brutal win over Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson.?

The winner gets a chance at the gold, so that’s there though!

Conor adopted a boxing heavy- flat footed approach in this fight vs his usual karate stance which gave Dustin a chance to exploit the opportunity to attack the leg.?

When the two exchanged in the first round, There were some neat strikes and counter strikes between the two fighters, now fighting at 155lbs but it was Conor who was landing the cleaner and heavier shots, although Dustin had his moments as well.?

However, The most important thing was that Dustin was not getting fazed by Conor's power shots and he could take them! This eased his nerves a little and started moving like a 'thinking-fighter'.?

Meanwhile he was racking up on the calf kicks and doing major damage while doing so. It was actually one calf kick at the onset of the second round that rocked Conor up and Dustin had just tasted blood.

He went on to land 18 calf kicks and executed the same game plan that Mcgregor executed in his second fight against Nate Diaz and all but destroyed him in this fight.?

Conor HAD to finish him now because of the compromised movement but Dustin sensed this and hit him with a flurry of shots before expertly hitting him with a switch right hook.?

Paid in full!?

The title shot was there for the taking but this one had a rematch written all over it. For all the right reasons in my opinion.

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Chapter 3: The Legacy!!!?

The sport has evolved drastically over the years. Gone are the days when a Royce Gracie would pull guard on purpose and the opponent would submit as soon as the submission was locked. Sometimes fighters used to tap out as they started feeling claustrophobic.?

Fast forward to modern day, where there is an absolute necessity to have a well rounded game.

Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has shown his excellent takedown defense over the years; while future hall of famer Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman who comes with a wrestling background, shut the lights out for Jorge Masvidal in the "KO of the century".?

The lightweight division is probably the one stacked with the most skilled fighters. Charles Oliveira to Justin Gaethje to Mike Chandler to Tony Ferguson to Dan Hooker; the division is filled with killers!?

What I mean by this is that the difference between the top fighters is very minimal and small details can change the fight drastically.?

There was a real possibility that McGregor underestimated Poirier ahead of their second fight; though that would certainly not be the case this time around! Make no mistake; the ring rust is real. Conor has lost 3 of his last 4 fights; and the win was against an already washed up Donald Cowboy Cerrone.??

An interesting question here is; Who wins on their best day? I think Conor has a slight edge there as he has a wider skill-set and a very strong overall game. His ground game is under-appreciated but he is solid in takedown defense and can take care of himself while against the fence as well.?

Dustin on the other hand has a slight advantage if the pair starts to engage in some dirty boxing. He is an absolute machine in those close quarters and can hit with some big shots in the pocket. He needs to move around as the fight starts and use those calf kicks again. Although, Conor would no doubt be ready this time and might throw some of his own.?

One thing that is going to play a key part in the fight is that Dustin needs to make sure he does not let the ex double champ find his “flow” and needs to break the fight down as much as possible in the first two rounds. He did that expertly in the 2nd fight; Conor was not expecting the takedown so early in the fight and was taken down easily.?

He did a much better job in the early rounds against Khabib where he knew he was going to get taken down.?

The upside for Dustin in this fight is huge. In his pre fight interview last week, he said that he wants to test his will to fight. He is an absolute legend of the sport and may just be the #AndNew by the end of the year. He has a lot to fight for; his family, proving that January was not a fluke, a legacy and a potential championship bout later this year.?

On the other hand, the down-side is maybe even bigger for Conor in this fight. A lot of fans and fighters have already written him off and questioned whether or not he is the same hungry fighter from Dublin, which he was a few years back. He has all the money in the world now, so the logical thing would be to say, he doesn't NEED to do this anymore and hence he is a washed up fighter now.?

The truth in my opinion cannot be farther than this.?

Conor is a true martial artist at heart and does not need to prove to anyone how elite of a fighter he is; the things he has done in the sport speak for itself. What he wants now is legacy and a chance to get his hands on the title again. He would want to prove to himself, more than anyone else, that he still has what it takes to deliver at the very top of this sport.?

There needs to be some adjustments that Conor would like to make for this fight though. He should move back to his karate stance and be light on the lead leg. Also, check those calf kicks if Dustin plans to throw them to put doubt in his head. Dustin said he expects Conor to not only defend the calf kicks better but that he himself is preparing for defending some from him.?

Distance management would be the key for both the fighters while picking their shots. Conor could really use those kicks and the angles from which he throws that bomb of a left hand. For Dustin, it would be good if he gets into the pocket and outboxes him again.?

How can they possibly win?

Conor would want to finish the fight early in the first or the second round. Clip him with a left hook or a lead uppercut and end the fight early. Dustin would like the fight to go to the later rounds but to be honest he can pick his moment anytime.?

Dustin said after the fight and again this week that they owe it to each other to share the octagon again and I genuinely believe there is definitely a degree of mutual respect there.

The fact that these two can fight 100 times and not once will it go to the decision is what makes this match so special.?

If the fight goes to the final round though; we are in for a LOT of violence!?