By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
The main event trilogy bout took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday July 10, 2021. No, it was not the Tyson Fury versus Deontay Wilder trilogy bout for the World Boxing Council World Heavyweight title. It was the trilogy lightweight bout between UFC fighters Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Millions viewed via Pay-Per-View, while thousands viewed UFC 264live. The end result did not take long to play out.
McGregor, 22-6 with 19 knockouts, Dublin, Ireland, associated with SBG Ireland, started strong with evil intent, landed lightning fast and hard leg kicks. Apparently, one of those leg kicks, according to opponent Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier, 28-6 with 14 knockouts, Carencro, Louisiana, associated with American Top Team, fractured McGregor’s left leg, knee or ankle at some point. Poirier could sense something was wrong, so he engaged McGregor in a takedown.
McGregor, in pain, did not maneuver well with his back to the floor along the Octagon cage, and took a bad beating. McGregor did survive to get up near the end of the round. Poirier wanted McGregor to rise, and as McGregor backpedaled, his left leg twisted, and his left ankle buckled beneath him and broke. Poirier then began inflicting another savage beating with five seconds left. McGregor survived on the floor, but could not arise and the bout was over, due to a referee’s medical decision at the end of round one.
Bleeding from the left ear, McGregor ranted and raved uncontrollably while his left leg was put in a splint and he was carried from the arena. Commentator Max Kellerman noted McGregor had one only one MMA bout since his megabucks bouts with Floyd Mayweather Jr., implying McGregor was not hungry. While McGregor arrived at the Octagon in seemingly fine condition, and with motivation, he did not enter the Octagon with a technical mindset, only a go for broke mindset. An early guillotine hold was not the holy grail for McGregor, who, despite enthusiasm, incurred an injury from which he could not recover.
Poirier, a Jujutsu black belt who was capable of taking either a healthy or an injured McGregor down, was witness to McGregor’s ugly left ankle injury, the sort of injury which could end an MMA fighter’s career. Trash talk aside, McGregor and fighters with a similar injury would be rare to return to top MMA fighting form after an ankle break such as this. The audience included a who’s who, from United States President Donald Trump. singer Justin Bieber. UFC Heavyweight champion Chuck Lindell, to comedian Dave Chappell.
UFC 264 Results
MMA Main Event
Dustin Poirier Win TKO 1 Conor McGregor, 155 Pound Lightweights (5:00)
Doctor stoppage. McGregor broke his leg moving backwards. Referee: Herb Dean
MMA Preliminary Bout to Main Event
Gilbert Burns Win 3 Stephen Thompson, 170 Pound Welterweights
Unanimous decision 29-28 X 3. Good hard fought scrap. Referee: Marc Goddard
T-Mobile Arena MMA Undercard Bouts
Tai “Bam-Bam” Tuivasa KO 1 Greg Hardy (1:07), MMA Heavyweights
Knockout from punches. Referee: Marc Smith
Irene Aldana Win TKO 1 Yana Kunitskaya (4:35), 135 Pound Female Bantamweights
Stoppage from punches. Referee: Jason Herzog
Sean O’Malley TKO 3 Kris Moutinho (4:33), 135 Pound Bantamweights
Stoppage from punches. Referee: Herb Dean
Max “Pain” Griffin Win 3 Carlos Condit, 170 Pound Welterweights
Unanimous Decision. Referee: Marc Goddard
Michel Pereira Win 3 Niko Price, 170 Pound Welterweights
Unanimous Decision. Referee: Marc Smith
Llia Topuria Win KO 1 Ryan Hall (4:47), 145 Pound Featherweights
Knockout from punches. Referee: Ryan Hall
Driscus Du Pleissis Win KO 2 Trevin Giles, 185 Pound Middleweights
Knockout from punches. Referee: Chris Tognoni
Jennifer Maia Win 3, Jessica Eye, 125 Pound Female Flyweights
Unanimous Decision. Referee: Herb Dean
Brad Tavares Win Split Decision 3 Omari Akhmedov, 185 Pound Middleweights
Split Decision. Referee: Marc Goddard
Zhalgas Zhumagulov KO 1 Jerome Rivera (2:02), 125 Pound Flyweights
Guillotine choke submission. Referee: Chris Tognoni. Opening MMA bout on card.