By 2020, Conor McGregor had achieved his goals in MMA after becoming a two-division UFC champion as we covered in our previous article. McGregor had also earned a fortune, particularly in his high-profile boxing match with Mayweather. Now, McGregor had retired from MMA, but would that last? Without further ado, let’s continue our coverage with the story of Conor McGregor part 5.
The Story of Conor McGregor Part 5: A Short-Lived Retirement
As we covered in our previous article, UFC president Dana White was unconvinced that McGregor’s retirement from MMA in 2019 would last. White turned out to be correct. McGregor returned to MMA in a fight against UFC veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 246.
McGregor easily won the fight, beating Cerrone by TKO early in the first round. This was a dream return to MMA for the Irishman. Many fans criticized the bout as a mismatch, given how Cerrone tended to struggle against pressure fighters like McGregor at this stage of his career.
However, the UFC clearly wanted McGregor to return with a significant win. As a result, it seems incorrect to categorize this as a matchmaking mistake. The UFC wanted McGregor to defeat Cerrone at UFC 246 and he did.
McGregor received a Performance of the Night award at UFC 246 for his 40-second victory over Cerrone. This knockout win means that McGregor is the first fighter in UFC history to win by knockout in three divisions: welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight. McGregor once again had momentum on his side as he pondered what to do next. Despite this, McGregor announced that he was going to retire from MMA on June 6th, 2020.
This time, most fans and analysts were far more skeptical. Few believed that McGregor would retire from MMA prior to further fights with top-level opponents. Those who were skeptical of Conor McGregor’s retirement would end up being correct.
The Story of Conor McGregor Part 5: The Rematch with Dustin Poirier
Conor McGregor defeated Dustin Poirier by TKO in the first round during his rise to the top of the UFC featherweight division. However, that was quite some time ago. Poirier admitted that he was too emotional heading into that fight as a result of McGregor’s effective trash talk.
Naturally, both McGregor and Poirier were completely different fighters back then. Now, McGregor had the opportunity to demonstrate that he was still better than Poirier, despite recent losses and the loss of both of his titles. Meanwhile, Poirier wanted revenge and a notable win to propel him toward another title shot.
The Build-Up to the Fight
The build-up to Poirier and McGregor’s rematch was interesting in that it was completely different from the build-up to the pair’s first fight when they were both much younger. Everyone knows McGregor tends to talk trash about his opponents. This is part of his strategy to win fights, since angry opponents tend to make mistakes. That being said, McGregor spoke highly of Poirier in the build-up to the rematch and was far more polite than usual.
This caught the MMA world by surprise. Some wondered if this was due to McGregor being older or if Poirier and McGregor had quashed any issues between them. In any case, fans greatly looked forward to the rematch between McGregor and Poirier at UFC 257. The fight would not disappoint.
Poirier Knocks Out McGregor In Round Two
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier went back and forth in the first round. Both landed effective strikes as they felt each other out. McGregor looked particularly sharp with his left hand, as per usual. However, Poirier started to take advantage of McGregor’s slow movement by the end of the first round. Poirier won the first round 10-9 on most scorecards.
Poirier began imposing his will on McGregor in the second round, landing more effective strikes. McGregor took more and more damage until Poirier finished him by TKO halfway through the second round. This was the first knockout loss McGregor had suffered in his career. The loss to a rival like Poirier, a man McGregor easily defeated in 2014, was another blow to McGregor’s hopes of rising to the top of the UFC lightweight division once again.
McGregor received a six-month medical suspension as a result of the TKO loss. He would be unable to compete until July 2021. After this defeat, the rivalry with Poirier only intensified as both men had now beaten each other.
It was clear to most what would come next in McGregor’s MMA career.
The Story of Conor McGregor Part 5: The Trilogy Fight with Poirier
Naturally, McGregor had no desire to move on to fighting another opponent after Poirier handed him his first-ever knockout loss. The UFC, McGregor, and Poirier quickly agreed to a trilogy fight. McGregor and Poirier would fight for a third time on July 10, 2021 at UFC 264. This was billed as the fight to determine the winner of the rivalry.
In contrast to the previous fight, McGregor talked far more trash against Dustin Poirier in the build-up to the trilogy fight. Any idea that McGregor was no longer a trash talker evaporated. Poirier responded in kind. It was clear that the bad blood between McGregor and Poirier was still very much real.
Fans eagerly anticipated the grudge match between McGregor and Poirier.
The Fight Ends Bizarrely
The first round of the trilogy fight between McGregor and Poirier played out much like the first round of their rematch. However, it seemed even closer. Some scored round one for Poirier while others scored it for McGregor.
Everyone wanted to see what direction the fight would take in the second round. Unfortunately, there would be no second round as McGregor injured himself after the first round and couldn’t continue. This meant that Poirier won by TKO, although this time it was due to a doctor stoppage.
It was a disappointing end to what was shaping up to be an exciting trilogy bout between two highly-skilled fighters who dislike each other intensely. McGregor has not fought since this fight.
An Uncertain Future
Conor McGregor has faced controversy and legal issues in recent years, including being found liable for sexual assault in 2024. Additionally, his focus doesn’t seem to be solely on MMA anymore. In addition to his various business interests, McGregor also appeared in the 2024 movie “Roadhouse”. McGregor was supposed to fight Michael Chandler in 2024, but pulled out of the fight due to an injury.
Whether or not McGregor will ever compete in MMA again is a mystery. It is clear, though, that he is no longer as motivated to do so as he once was. He’s earned a massive fortune and won two UFC titles. McGregor doesn’t have anything left to prove in MMA. Even so, if he never fights again, his story will feel incomplete to some. McGregor’s legacy is a complicated mix of success, controversy, fortune, and fame.
How his story will play out in the future is anyone’s guess.
Visit Us Again Soon for More Compelling Sports Stories
This concludes our coverage of the story of Conor McGregor. We hope you enjoyed it. Make sure to visit our website again soon for more fascinating sports stories.