The notorious knock on Conor McGregor has been he can run out of steam after seven or eight minutes of fighting.<br /><br />On Sunday at Fight Island, the Irishman gave that belief more fuel as Dustin Poirier weathered the early storm from McGregor’s punches to secure a TKO at 2:32 of the second round in the UFC 257 pay-per-view headliner, avenging a 2014 loss to the Irishman at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.<br /><br />“I’m happy, man, but I’m not surprised,” Poirier said in the octagon following the victory. “I put in the work.”<br /><br />The win for Poirier (27-6, 20 finishes) comes at a time of uncertainty for the UFC lightweight division. Unbeaten champion Khabib Nurmagomedov ostensibly retired after his latest title defense in October. His victory over McGregor (22-5, 20 finishes) positions him for a potential title fight against either Nurmagomedov or, more likely, a different opponent to crown a new champion.<br />“I felt like this was a title fight,” Poirier said, declaring himself the champion.<br /><br />In the second, McGregor came out strong again, but his lead right leg was reddened by the kicks of Poirier.<br /><br />“That low calf kick was very good,” McGregor said in the cage after the fight. “My leg was dead.”<br />Midway through the second round, Poirier caught up to McGregor with a flurry of punches at the cage, finally putting down the former two-division champion with a heavy right hook to the face that forced the referee to call a halt to the bout.
