Former two-weight world champion Conor McGregor was left stunned on his return to the UFC as Dustin Poirier claimed victory in their rematch at UFC 257.
The Irishman had beaten Poirier inside two minutes in September 2014 and was overwhelming favourite to see off his lightweight rival again in a bid to get fierce adversary Nurmagomedov to reverse his retirement decision.
But Poirier unleashed a flurry of punches to seal a technical knockout two minutes 32 seconds into round two.
"I'm gutted, it's a tough one to swallow," said McGregor.
"I felt stronger than him, but his leg kicks were good. I didn't adjust. My leg was badly compromised, I've never experienced those low calf kicks, and I wasn't as comfortable as I needed to be.
"I have no excuses. It was a phenomenal performance by Dustin. I have to dust it off and come back. I need activity, you don't get away with being inactive in this business."
