UFC 264: McGregor Breaks an Ankle, Poirier Wins Via Doctor’s Stoppage

Dustin Poirier won his third match against Conor McGregor, but only because the Irishman broke his ankle during the fight.

A very nasty scene near the end of the first round decided one of the most expected clashes in the history of the UFC. While trying to hit Poirier with his arm, McGregor rolled he already hurt ankle, stepping on it and eventually breaking it. He would immediately fell on the ground, and Poirier went after him but couldn’t finish the Irishman. Once the buzzer sounded, Conor showed the judge in the ring, Herb Dean, what happened to his ankle.

Now, McGregor’s ankle was probably hurt already before, once he struck Poirier’s leg earlier during the fight. During one such attack, the Diamond apparently felt the crack and pointed that to Conor.

Conor McGregor snaps his ankle in the first round and Poirier wins by doctor's stoppage.

Poirier -140 💰https://t.co/rGuLzJimng

— ClutchPoints Betting (@CPBetting) July 11, 2021

Until that point, Conor was doing well inside the octagon, shopping Poirier’s leading leg, but afterward, he slowed down significantly, and in no time, he was down on his back. McGregor’s attempt to perform a guillotine choke failed, and that was when Poirier started beating the former champion with ground and pound hits.

“For a second there, I was like, ‘Oh s—! I might’ve played myself,'” Poirier explained the situation with the guillotine.

After managing to get back oh his feet, McGregor restored the balance and went for one punch, but his rotation of the body saw him twitching the ankle that snapped. At first, nobody realized what happened, and everyone saw Poirier going after a finish. When things got clear, Conor called Dean to notify him about the injury.

The Irishman was very furious once he saw that the win was awarded to Poirier, and he fired several very nasty words in his direction. It was already a tense situation, and his action following the fight only made things even worse. The fans too, weren’t very pleased with the official ruling.

“Everybody booing, you can kiss my…” Poirier said in his postfight interview. “I beat the guy.”

"When Conor is healed you do the rematch."

Dana White feels @DustinPoirier and McGregor will run it back pending the Irishman's recovery. pic.twitter.com/diBb01dOY5

— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) July 11, 2021

Dustin also had some remarks about Conor and his behavior, saying that he didn’t like what he heard and that McGregor crossed the line.

The Notorious stated that he didn’t finish the job with Poirier and that at some point, they two will continue tonight’s fight.

“This is not over!” he said, still seated against the cage, a brace immobilizing his left leg. “If I have to take this outside with him, it’s on the outside.”

Dana White didn’t have anything against that idea, saying that he and Poirier will have their fight whenever McGregor gets healthy. But until that moment, the Diamond won’t wait. The American is the next in line for challenging Charles Oliveira, the reigning UFC lightweight champion who earned that status defeating Michael Chandler.

“When Conor is healed and ready to go, we’ll do the rematch, I guess,” White said. “Poirier will do his thing until Conor is ready.”

In the co-main event of the night, Gilbert Burns defeated Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision. It was a dull match in which Burns managed to collect more points and stay in the elite echelon of the welterweight category.

For “Wonderboy,” this was the ultimate chance to get a shot at the title, and it seems that following tonight’s loss, that isn’t going to happen.