There was no shortage of fireworks in the first round of the trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. Unfortunately, the main event of UFC 264 was cut short when Conor McGregor suffered what appeared to be a broken left leg.
The highly anticipated trilogy bout between the two highly-ranked lightweights was explosive from the start. McGregor came out aggressive, opening with a spinning kick to the body and chopping at the legs of Poirier. Poirier responded by throwing his own leg kicks before letting loose with some punches that knocked McGregor off balance.
The two wound up grappling against the fence where McGregor attempted a guillotine choke as the two went to the mat. The failed guillotine attempt actually worked in Poirier's favor as he worked for top position and began to let loose with ground strikes and elbows.
The two eventually rose to their feet and traded punches that both missed; however, when McGregor stepped back, he fell and appeared to break his left leg. Unbeknownst at the time, Poirier went in for the finish. McGregor did survive the round but Herb Dean did end up stopping the fight at 5:00 of the first round.
The official result was a TKO victory for Dustin Poirier via TKO (doctor stoppage). The official judges scorecards had Poirier winning the first round 10-9, 10-8, 10-8.
With the win, the No. 1-ranked Poirier moves to 28-6 (1 NC). He is now in prime position to challenge Charles Oliveira for the lightweight belt.
"This is not over!" a raging McGregor yelled while still seated against the cage. "If I have to take this outside with him it's on outside."
Unfortunately, the unsatisfying conclusion of this trilogy has already sparked conversations about a fourth fight between McGregor and Poirier.