Now that the dust has settled on that manic, shocking and frustrating night in Las Vegas, Dustin Poirier reflects on a job well done.
His victory over Conor McGregor in the headline act of UFC 264 was utterly unpredictable both in the five minutes inside the cage and gruesome conclusion.
McGregor suffered perhaps the worst round of his career with two judges scoring it a 10-8 before the Irishman compounded his misery by snapping his tibia in the closing seconds.
Dustin Poirier was dominating Conor McGregor before the Irishman broke his leg
Poirier says he had McGregor hurt, which is why the Irishman initiated a clinch
Poirier was denied the finish his work in the opening stanza appeared to be building towards and despite his domination, aspects of the fight came as a surprise.
Before the event, McGregor said: 'First one to shoot for a takedown is a dusty b****', to which Poirier replied: 'How about the first one to be taken down is a dusty 'b****, this is MMA. Put it all together. It reeks of insecurity to me.'
So when Poirier landed a fluid combination and had his opponent scrambling for the clinch and attempting a submission, it came out of left field.
The Louisiana native exclusively told Sportsmail: 'I wouldn't say it surprised me how much I dominated the first round, what surprised me was him attempting to submit me and give up position.
McGregor was well beaten in a 10-8 round on two of the judges' scorecards in the first round
'The fight plays out in your head for weeks leading up to it, there are a million ways it can play out but him jumping a guillotine is never one that crossed my mind, that was a bit surprising. But my performance, abilities and what I think I'm capable of, that doesn't surprise me.
'I thought he was hurt and trying to protect himself (by going into the clinch), that's what that was, it just sucks for him saying all that stuff and then he initiates that clinch.'
The pre-fight words came back to haunt McGregor, including his prediction that Poirier would be carried out of the arena on a stretcher when it turned out to be the Dubliner who was.
The furious indignation from McGregor on the mic, admittedly while nursing a horrific injury and huge disappointment, strayed into the personal afterwards when he tried to goad Poirier by talking about his wife.
The American dealt
