Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier is a bad man. The former interim lightweight champion showed he's every bit as tough and powerful as any man in the division on Saturday night at UFC 257 with a thrilling stoppage of Conor McGregor in the second round. Poirier survived some early shots from McGregor before securing a takedown and eventually battering his opponent's lead calf.
The damage to McGregor's calf ended up being up to flip the fight as Poirier pushed forward with an onslaught that dropped McGregor and led to the stoppage in the second round. Poirier, who is left in limbo with UFC president Dana White insisting champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will be back for one more fight despite announcing his retirement in October, believes he should be the champion if Nurmagomedov is out of the picture.
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Elsewhere on the card, Michael Chandler made a thunderous debut with a first-round TKO of Dan Hooker. The former Bellator MMA lightweight champion made quick work of Hooker by dropping him with a right hook before adding another series of punches on the ground. Chandler believes his next fight should be for the title.
Plus, Joanne Calderwood turned in a solid performance with a decision win over former title challenger Jessica Eye in a featured bout. Calderwood, who risked her own shot at the title last year and suffered a first-round submission loss, looked crisp in striking and grappling en route to earning scorecards of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. White said afterward that she'll definitely be in the conversation to challenge champ Valentina Shevchenko next.
CBS Sports was with you with coverage throughout the week at UFC 257. Check out the complete results and highlights below, as well as our lead in coverage for everything surrounding this card.
UFC 257 fight card, results
- Dustin Poirier def. Conor McGregor via second-round TKO (punches)
- Michael Chandler def. Dan Hooker via first-round TKO (punches)
- Joanne Calderwood def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Makhmud Muradov def. Andrew Sanchez via third-round TKO (punches)
- Marina Rodriguez def. Amanda Ribas via second-round knockout (punches)
- Arman Tsarukyan vs. Matt Frevola via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Brad Tavares def. Antonio Carlos Junior via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Julianna Pena def. Sara McMann via third-round submission (rear naked choke)
- Marcin Prachnio def. Khalil Rountree Jr. via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Movsar Evolev def. Nik Lentz via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Amir Albazi def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Reaction
- Takeaways: Poirier stamps his legacy as Chandler becomes an instant title contender
- Campbell: Biggest fights to make at lightweight after results of UFC 257
- Twitter trolls McGregor with knockout meme after loss
- Nurmagomedov trolls McGregor, tells White there's no reason to come back
UFC 257 countdown
- Staff predictions and expert picks for the main card
- Oh boy ...: Ottman Azaitar removed from card and cut by UFC for violating protocols
- Campbell: McGregor restarts pursuit of claiming UFC gold again
- Brookhouse: The best bets to make on the main card on Saturday
- Campbell: Poirier has 25 more minutes to prove himself vs. McGregor
- Brookhouse: Breaking down every fight on the UFC 257 main card
- More legal issues: Conor McGregor facing lawsuit in Ireland
- Brookhouse: Who finishes 2021 as UFC lightweight champion?
- Campbell: Storylines to watch at UFC 257