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Video: Dan Hardy breaks down Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch at UFC 257

The UFC’s first pay-per-view event of 2021 will deliver a huge rematch, as former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier and former two-division champ Conor McGregor will go head to head at UFC 257 in a bout with major title implications in the UFC’s 155-pound division.

The pair first clashed at UFC 178 in September 2014, where McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) stunned Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) early in the first round to claim a 106-second knockout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Since then, both men have evolved and developed into two of the best lightweight fighters on the planet.

McGregor captured interim featherweight gold at UFC 189, then upgraded to the undisputed title with a stunning knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 194. Then, at UFC 205, he became the UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion – a “champ champ” – by finishing Eddie Alvarez at Madison Square Garden. He was eventually stripped of both titles after failing to defend either belt.

Poirier, meanwhile, went back to the drawing board after his defeat and moved up to 155 pounds, where he found another gear as he moved his way up the division and eventually claimed interim lightweight gold with victory over then-featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 236.

Both men have challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed title, but both suffered the same fate as they lost via rear-naked choke submission. Now the pair will face off in a rematch looking to push themselves one step closer to a shot at the lightweight belt once again.

Ahead of their bout, former UFC welterweight title challenger and UFC analyst Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy invites us into “The War Room,” as he takes a deep dive into the matchup and offers his technical pointers ahead of the fight. Check out his pre-fight assessment via the video above.

UFC 257 takes place Saturday, Jan. 23 at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The event streams on pay-per-view on ESPN+.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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