Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier: A Full Head-to-Toe Breakdown
UFC 178 on Saturday may be headlined by Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso, but it's not the whole story. In fact, it may not be the most enthralling fight on the card.
That distinction may land upon a main card bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. It is a featherweight bout with high implications that could establish one of the next men to jump into the title picture.
There is also some animosity. McGregor is a showman and a seller, while Poirier is a no-nonsense bayou boy who has grown weary of the McGregor show.
What is going to happen when this bout goes down? Let's break this fight down from the top to the bottom and make a prediction when it's all said and done.
Striking
1 of 4
In all honesty, the striking portion of the fight may be the closest matchup these two men have in terms of skills.
McGregor is a wide-stanced striker with good kicks and powerful straight punches. His time in the UFC has seen him blitz Marcus Brimage quickly in his debut and drop Diego Brandao en route to a TKO victory.
Poirier is more of a boxer, using his aggressive cage control and iron chin to move through the opponent's offense and land some of his devastating punches.
This is a very close matchup here. Both men have different, effective styles that have worked for them in the UFC. While Poirier is going to look to land more with his hands, McGregor will use kicks to keep him at a distance and soften him up a bit.
It's razor close, but for the sake of making a pick here, I will give the Irishman the slight nod.
Edge: McGregor
Wrestling
2 of 4
There is no doubt about it here. Old-fashioned American wrestling is going to reign supreme over the little-known commodity that is Irish wrestling.
Although McGregor showed he could attain takedowns in the UFC against Max Holloway, don't be fooled. Shooting for the takedown is not exactly his go-to move.
Poirier, on the other hand, has shown some underrated wrestling and ability to plant guys on the mat, especially from the clinch. His surprising strength allows him to muscle guys down.
In this category, there is no question who is better.
Edge: Poirier
Submissions/Grappling
3 of 4
Just like the wrestling category, the submission grappling category is a major difference in this fight.
McGregor, though he has shown improvements in his grappling, is not exactly a Gracie when it comes to submissions and pure jiu-jitsu. He has continually gotten better, but against high-level grapplers in the division, he is likely going to struggle.
Poirier is a strong jiu-jitsu fighter with very good submission skills. He especially likes the D'arce choke, a technique that he will likely look to if he and McGregor go to the floor.
The American is just all-around better on the ground.
Edge: Poirier
Prediction
4 of 4
There is no doubt about it. This is going to be a fun fight.
These guys are looking for a fight night bonus, which will make this a contender for Fight of the Night. Their respective striking games should make for an exciting contrast.
However, as stated, the ground game of Poirier will be the difference-maker. He has the ability to put the Irishman down and keep him there.
From there, he has vastly superior submissions. I mean, if Joseph Duffy could choke out McGregor, what's stopping a guy like Poirier?
Prediction: Poirier def. McGregor via submission
.png?w=600 "Who Will Panthers Take at No. 9 ? 🤔")
