Dustin Poirier just knocked out Conor McGregor in a stunning Fight Island upset

• Dustin Poirier just knocked Conor McGregor out cold Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
• It took a while for McGregor to recover, and when he was finally on his feet again, the Irishman could only limp around the Octagon.
• Poirier has gone through a gauntlet of opponents but the McGregor win is one of the best in his career.
• Watch a highlight of the action below.

FIGHT ISLAND - Few things are as electrifying in the modern combat sports era as a Conor McGregor fight night.

And, on Saturday, the popular Irishman had another crowd in the palm of his hand, this time the partial fan allowance at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The stage was set for a back-to-back win in the McGregor 2.0 era … only his opponent Dustin Poirier had his own plans.

Poirier inflicted a stunning second-round loss onto McGregor after a shellacking of strikes against the fence forced a knockdown and then a knockout.

McGregor had performed well in the opening round. He occupied the middle of the cage from the opening bell, asserted his authority, and forced Poirier to circle around him.

Though Poirier nailed a takedown, McGregor stood up after absorbing little damage, and, in the clinch, hit the American with the shoulder strikes he refined in training camp in recent years - the ones that stunned Donald Cerrone so effectively in 2020, that contributed to the Cowboy's 40-second loss.

McGregor's southpaw jab was accurate in a point-scoring way but, unperturbed, Poirier fired leg kicks from the outside.

In the second round, Poirier again circled the Octagon, lashed kicks at McGregor's calves, and, when he had him against the fence, pounded the 32-year-old until he wilted and fell to the canvas.

From there, Poirier didn't stop punching until McGregor was out cold and beaten conclusively.

McGregor had taken a real pounding. When he had finally rose to his feet, he was only able to limp away - likely wounded by Poirier's relentless leg kicks.

Watch it here:

—ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) January 24, 2021

Poirier has defeated a bunch of killers of late, including Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, and Dan Hooker, but the McGregor stoppage is one of the best of his lot.

With the win, Poirier advanced his pro-MMA record to 27 wins (13 knockouts, seven submissions, and seven decisions) against six losses.

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