UFC 257: Firas Zahabi Breaks Down Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 2

We’re only ten days away from the blockbuster lightweight contest between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor at UFC 257. Ahead of the first UFC pay-per-view headliner of 2021, Tristar head coach Firas Zahabi has given his thoughts on how the highly anticipated rematch will play out.

Poirier vs McGregor 2

Both Poirier and McGregor’s careers have gone through exponential growth since their first bout at UFC 178. ‘The Notorious’ went on to capture gold in the UFC’s featherweight and lightweight divisions, while ‘The Diamond’ picked up the interim lightweight title at UFC 236 by beating Max Holloway.

McGregor needed less than two minutes to finish Poirier in their first bout in 2014. Speaking on the Tristar Gym’s YouTube channel (as transcribed by LowKick MMA), Zahabi said that he was giving an edge to the Irishman in the upcoming rematch.

“I’m not saying Dustin has no chance to win,” Zahabi said. “I’m giving it 60-40 in McGregor’s favour. I don’t usually go 60-40, especially at this level. Two elite guys who were world champions. They both have ways to win, they’re both super seasoned, super experienced, super dangerous, they’re both finishers.

“Why am I being so generous? Well, I think this has a lot to do with styles. Conor McGregor is the best counter-puncher in UFC history. There’s never been a counter-puncher like him in MMA. Dustin Poirier‘s number one weapon is boxing so he’s kind of feeding the McGregor machine — exactly what McGregor wants. But because he’s primarily a puncher, and he’s a very good puncher, he’s just not a puncher at the level of a McGregor. McGregor has reached, in my opinion, the highest level of MMA so far.”

“I Don’t Think It Will Go That Far”

While Zahabi is giving the edge to McGregor, he believes that the longer the fight goes on, the better chance Poirier has of getting his hand raised. However, the Tristar main man doesn’t think the fight will reach the latter rounds.

“I don’t think it will go that far,” Zahabi said. “I think McGregor is going to get his job done in the first two rounds.”

Do you agree with Firas Zahabi’s assessment of the UFC 257 main event between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor?

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