Abu Dhabi (AFP)
Return missed for Conor Mc Gregor.
For his umpteenth "comeback", the Irish superstar of mixed martial arts (MMA) was knocked out by the American Dustin Poirier in the second resumption of their UFC fight, Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
This morning setback, the fifth in 27 fights, but the first by KO, jeopardizes the rest of his career in the most prestigious organization of MMA but also the amount of the purse of a possible future fight of English boxing against Filipino Manny Pacquiao.
The one who in 2016 became the first Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter to hold two titles simultaneously in two different categories has largely exceeded the media limits of his sport since his debut in the UFC in 2013, which notably led him to to play a boxing match, extremely profitable although lost, against the American Floyd Mayweather Jr.
But the hour of the irremediable decline of the former beneficiary of minimum social assistance turned multi-millionaire "bling bling" seems to be approaching.
In this bout scheduled for Sunday before 10:00 a.m. in Abu Dhabi, McGregor made his return to an octagon, in the lightweight category, a year after his last appearance and an easy victory over Donald Cerrone in Las Vegas.
This time, Poirier surprised him with a leg kick followed by a flurry of blows with the hands that made him fall, before the referee ended the fight, after 2 minutes 32 seconds in the second recovery.
- McGregor fair play -
"It's hard to be inactive for that long," pleaded the 32-year-old Irishman, after what was only his third cage fight in over four years.
Brought to the entry floor, a field where he is less comfortable, then destabilized by Poirier's regular low kicks, "The Notorious" seemed to find the thread of the fight in the first round before collapsing on the fatal sequence of the American in the following one.
"His low calf kick was very good, but Dustin is a real fighter," McGregor admitted, limping but fair. It's hard to swallow. I'm going to dust myself off and come back because that's what I always do. I'll take those hits. "
Used to trouble with the law, his respectful behavior after his defeat was also perhaps a way of trying to forget his last escapades: the Dubliner had been placed in police custody in Corsica in September in September following '' a complaint for attempted sexual assault and sexual exhibition.
- The shadow of Khabib -
Dustin Poirier, 32, showed a very different version of him than in 2014 when, outmatched, he was knocked out by McGregor in 109 seconds.
A stopwatch that the Irishman had boasted of lowering under the minute, all week preceding this meeting in Abu Dhabi.
“First of all I want to say that Conor took this result with professionalism. We're at 1-1 and maybe we'll have to put that back,” Poirier said.
Second in the UFC lightweight category, the American is in a strong position to inherit the belt, held by Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0), but now retired.
In the event of McGregor's success on Saturday, Dana White, the charismatic UFC boss, was considering a high-profile rematch between the Irishman and "the Eagle of Dagestan" if the latter reversed his decision.
Their first fight, won on submission by Nurmagomedov, ended with a general brawl and suspension for the two superstars in October 2018.
"I think it was a fight for the title. I'm the champion now," said Poirier after his victory in the bubble of the "Fight Island" set up in Abu Dhabi to avoid the risks involved. to the new coronavirus.
The fight took place in the new Etihad Arena on Yas Island, a bio-secure sports center that the Emirati government established last July.
The three UFC events held over the past seven days were the first to allow fans to attend the fights, with around 2,000 in attendance for the main event.
© 2021 AFP