What Happened to Conor McGregor at UFC 264?

UFC 264, much like prior UFC cards, was full of surprises and twists. Sean O’Malley dished out one of the sport’s greatest displays of striking, Tai Tuivasa drank beer out of a fan’s shoe (again), and Gilbert Burns solved the puzzle of Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

But the biggest surprise, letdown, or whatever you want to call it, came from UFC 264’s headlining fight: Dustin Poirier Vs. Conor McGregor 3. 

This bout, which was scheduled for five rounds in the lightweight division, had some pretty massive implications. Conor McGregor’s legacy, Dustin Poirier’s future shot at a title, and a settlement of one of the UFC’s biggest rivalries ever was on the line. 

Fans got the opposite. 

After taking what I thought was a pretty substantial beating, Conor McGregor broke his leg at the end of the first round. What does this mean?

The fight was stopped by a doctor stoppage (a ringside physician said that Conor McGregor couldn’t continue competing because of a broken leg). Dustin Poirier got the de facto win by TKO (technical knockout). 

This begs the question: does a win count if an opponent has a freak injury? 

Predictably, Conor McGregor doesn’t think he lost. He had some choice words for Dustin Poirier during the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan (ones which won’t be repeated here). By his metric, the doctor’s stoppage doesn’t mean anything because it wasn’t the result of Dustin Poirier’s offensive attacks.  

That, however, may not be the case. Dustin Poirier says that Conor McGregor initially fractured the leg when he had a kick blocked during the round’s early minutes. If true, that block would’ve set the stage for Conor McGregor’s gruesome injury later on in the fight, making Dustin Poirier’s efforts a cause of the doctor’s stoppage. Conor McGregor, of course, denies these allegations. 

In any case, Dustin Poirier clearly controlled the fight up until the injury at the end, making his “win” a bit more justifiable. Dustin Poirier displayed excellent ground control, fantastic striking, and composure under pressure (literally, Conor McGregor unsuccessfully tried putting him in a guillotine choke by pressuring his neck). 

To me, Dustin Poirier still showcased that he is the better fighter between the two. But this rivalry seems to be far from over.