McGregor sees off Poirier in first round

Conor McGregor took just one minute and 46 seconds see off Dustin Poirier in his UFC 178 fight in Las Vegas.

Before the fight McGregor had predicted that he would beat Poirier, the No 5 featherweight, within the first round, and he was as good as his word.

After Poirier had landed the first punch to the face of the fight, McGregor hit him with a combination, then an elbow to the head.

‘The Notorious’ also used spinning back kicks to good effect, and ultimately Poirier had no response, the referee calling a halt to proceedings within two minutes.

“I wanted to come over here and show the American public the new era of the fighting Irish, and I brought my whole country with me” – Conor McGregor

Speaking after the fight, McGregor told UFC’s Joe Grogan announced: “I don’t just knock them out. I pick the round.”

McGregor said that he had torn ligaments in his thumb four weeks before the fight, which had disrupted his training, but that he had wanted to “put on a performance” before the crowd at the MGM Grand.

He said Poirier had not anticipated what was in store for him.

“These featherweights don’t understand until they get hit by me,” he said. “It’s a whole other ball game when they get hit by me.

“I said I’d knock him out in the first round and I knocked him out in the first round. You can call me Mystic Mac because I predict these things.”

McGregor said that Poirier’s “old style” of movement, based on Thai boxing, did not work against his own lighter, in-and-out style.

“It’s the old age; this is the new age. I wanted to come over here and show the American public the new era of the fighting Irish, and I brought my whole country with me. If one of us goes to war we all go to war.”

After what was his 12th straight win, McGregor called for a title fight against Jose Aldo. Asked what was next for him, he said: “You know what’s next. That world title is next. I’m gonna fly to Brazil and if they want, I’ll eliminate Chad ‘Mini’ Mendez, and step in and give the fans what they want, Aldo versus McGregor.”