By all accounts, UFC 257 will go down as one of the biggest events of the year if not one of the highest selling pay-per-views all time.
The highly anticipated event featured no title fights — although that may have been a mistake, more on that later — but the card did feature the return of Conor McGregor in a rematch against Dustin Poirier. After only competing one time in 2020, McGregor made his return to action on Saturday night with hopes of solidifying himself as the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division while also attempting to pursue a second fight with reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Instead, Poirier vanquished McGregor inside two rounds as the former interim champion destroyed the Irishman’s lead leg with kicks and then put him away with punches.
In the co-main event, former Bellator champion Michael Chandler finally made his octagon debut and he couldn’t have written a better ending as he demolished top 10 ranked lightweight Dan Hooker in the first round. A lot was made about Chandler’s signing to the UFC and he lived up to the hype with a statement performance in his first fight with the promotion.
With that said, let’s look back at the first UFC pay-per-view of 2021 to see what passed and what failed on Saturday night. This is Making the Grade for UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2.
PASSES
Shine Bright Like a Diamond
Dustin Poirier was ranked No. 2 in the world heading into UFC 257 yet somehow it felt like he was being overlooked while standing in the shadow of combat sports superstar Conor McGregor.
Considering McGregor dispatched Poirier inside two minutes in their first meeting six years ago, it was understandable why the Irish superstar was the favorite heading into the rematch. McGregor typically dwarfs all of his competition just because he commands so much attention, but unlike their first fight, Poirier seemed completely at ease with letting his opponent take all that attention.
Instead of getting wrapped up in a war of words, Poirier just stayed focused on the task at hand while working alongside a group of coaches at American Top Team, who only seem to get better with more time to pick apart an opponent. Head coach Mike Brown apparently studied McGregor and his tendencies while formulating a game plan that gave Poirier the best possible chance at victory.
Poirier followed his coach’s instructions by taking McGregor to the ground early in the first round while investing in the future by starting to dig away at the former two-division champion’s lead leg with a series of brutal calf kicks. By the time the lightweights were exchanging shots in the second round, McGregor was struggling to put weight on his leg in order to plant for his punches and Poirier saw the opening he needed to take advantage.
Once Poirier trapped McGregor against the cage, he began unloading with a barrage of strikes and he wasn’t going to stop until getting the finish. When McGregor finally crumbled to the mat, Poirier put him away with a vicious left hand while announcing himself as the best lightweight in the UFC who isn’t currently retired.
Poirier’s run in the lightweight division has been nothing short of remarkable but exorcising a past demon by demolishing McGregor at UFC 257 had to feel like one of the most satisfying wins of his career. The bad blood from six years ago had long since faded away but Poirier didn’t need to say anything to prove his point that he was the better fighter than McGregor on Saturday night.
McGregor now joins a list that also includes Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, Max Holloway and Dan Hooker as fighters who tried and failed to beat Poirier at his own game. Poirier deserves all the praise for his performance and now he has definitely separated himself from the competition as the UFC looks to move beyond the Khabib Nurmagomedov era in the lightweight division.
Iron Man
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Hype and expectations have crushed more than a few first time fighters in the UFC but former Bellator champion Michael Chandler had no intentions of joining that list.
Taking on a legitimate threat in Dan Hooker in the UFC 257 co-main event, Chandler had a very bright spotlight shining down on him with most wondering if a multi-time champion from another organization could really stack up to the competition inside the octagon. It was a fair question considering the hit-or-miss nature of high profile free agents joining the UFC in recent years.
Chandler shut down all those naysayers in dramatic fashion by blasting Hooker with punches in the first round to earn a jaw-dropping knockout. Afterwards, UFC president Dana White remarked that Chandler may have made one of the single best debuts in the history of the promotion.
Heading into Saturday night, Chandler had to know anything short of that kind of victory was going to result in plenty of doubt about his potential moving forward. After he put away a fighter who just went five rounds with Poirier seven months ago, Chandler seemingly silenced the masses.
Obviously a single win won’t define Chandler’s UFC career.
Let’s not forget former Bellator champs Ben Askren and Will Brooks also won their first fights in the UFC, although neither came in the same kind of spectacular fashion as Chandler.
Perhaps the best indicator for how Chandler will handle his future came from the answers he delivered at the post-fight press conference where he was happy to celebrate the win but just as quick to acknowledge this lone performance wouldn’t matter much if he doesn’t go onto accomplish his ultimate goal to become champion.
Chandler now joins arguably the toughest and deepest division in the UFC where the divide between the fighters ranked No. 1 and No. 15 is painfully thin. He’s got his sights set on gold and the UFC would do well to capitalize on Chandler’s win and put him into a very high-profile fight for his next walk to the octagon.
A title fight isn’t out of the question or perhaps Chandler seeks out someone like Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje just to secure his spot as the No. 1 contender. No matter what, Chandler definitely belongs in the upper echelon of the UFC and his win over Hooker certainly proved it.
Marina Rodriguez had endured one of the strangest starts to a UFC career through her first five fights but she finally broke through with a statement win on Saturday night.
With two draws and a split decision loss already on her resume, Rodriguez was beginning to get a reputation as a fighter who could always keep it close but may never be able to truly separate herself from the competition.
That all changed at UFC 257 as Rodriguez knocked out highly touted prospect Amanda Ribas in the second round.
Of course, Rodriguez had to endure a strong start from Ribas as her fellow Brazilian got a takedown before unleashing some impressive strikes on the ground. The momentum shifted rather quickly at the start of round two when Rodriguez lured Ribas into an exchange on the feet and that’s where she uncorked a hellacious punch that was the beginning of the end.
Because referee Herb Dean nearly stepped into stop the fight before allowing the action to continue, Rodriguez had to essentially knockout Ribas twice but she still got the job done.
Now it must be said that Ribas wasn’t an established contender in the division so a win over her certainly doesn’t make Rodriguez a threat to the strawweight champion right away but it shows that she’s more than just the uneven performances that decorated her first few fights in the UFC.
Hopefully a win like this will propel Rodriguez into an even bigger opportunity against an opponent who could put her into position to challenge for the title. If she can put on this kind of showing while facing someone like Joanna Jedrzejczyk or Yan Xiaonan then it might be time for strawweight queen Zhang Weili to take notice of the latest Brazilian gunning for gold in the UFC.
FAIL
No Such Thing as Halfway Crooks
Conor McGregor was in relatively good spirits, all things considered, after he lost to Dustin Poirier in the UFC 257 main event.
It was definitely an unexpected outcome for the former two-division champion as he promised to paint a masterpiece against an opponent he had already beaten previously with this fight expected to serve as a launching pad towards another title run, a potential rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov or even another boxing match against a champion like Manny Pacquiao.
That all went away with Poirier putting McGregor down and out in the second round.
Now McGregor stands at a crossroads in his career.
With just a 3-3 record in his past six fights, McGregor no longer carries the same aura of invincibility that seemingly allowed him to just will victories into existence. Huge stretches of inactivity have also plagued McGregor’s UFC career with just three fights since becoming “champ-champ” in 2016.
There’s no doubt McGregor is still the biggest draw in combat sports but now he has something to prove regarding his standing as one of the best fighters in the world.
In order for McGregor to reclaim that status, he needs to decide if mixed martial arts is the only future he wants to pursue because this isn’t a sport meant for part timers.
Of course, McGregor should still play hardball with the UFC when it comes to negotiations for his next fight purse because chances are whatever paycheck he’s receiving is probably less than he deserves. That said, McGregor needs to stay busy with an attitude where he’s ready to fight whoever the UFC throws at him if he wants to get back to the top.
McGregor has also shown incredible loyalty to the coaches and teammates who helped turn him into a world champion but that doesn’t mean he can’t branch out to look for additional help. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with adding to the formula to hopefully end up with better results.
No one can question McGregor’s passion when it comes to the sport but as former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier said after the event ended “you’ve got to be active, you’ve got to be in the octagon, you have to be fighting.”
Unfortunately, McGregor just hasn’t been doing much of that in the past few years.
EPIC FAIL
Retired Used to Mean Retired
As great as Saturday night’s card was for the promotion, the UFC still managed to make a colossal mistake.
This past October, Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title with a submission win over Justin Gaethje and then announced his retirement from the sport. Following the tragic death of his father earlier in the year, Nurmagomedov made a promise to his mother that he would compete one more time before calling it a career.
In the months since that announcement, UFC president Dana White has shown a voracious appetite to try and convince Nurmagomedov to return for one more fight. He insisted that Nurmagomedov made his decision to retire in the heat of the moment and he wanted to give the reigning lightweight champion an opportunity to change his mind.
White even went as far as promising a meeting with Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi just over a week ago would seal the deal on his potential return.
But instead of coming back with a definitive answer, White had to report that Nurmagomedov was still undecided and he wanted to see something “spectacular” in order to comeback. Of course days later, Nurmagomedov did an interview saying he still had no desire to compete again yet White still couldn’t let go and admit that the undefeated Russian had already fought for the last time.
If Nurmagomedov had been allowed to retire as requested, the UFC had a golden opportunity to crown a new champion with the main event between Poirier and McGregor. At worst, the UFC could have put an interim title up for grabs with the winner then being declared the undisputed champion with Nurmagomedov retired.
Now, the UFC faces an even bigger problem.
Poirier seemed none too happy that he left UFC 257 without a title and that was only amplified with his social media posts where he called himself the uncrowned champion. He also quickly shut down talks about a potential title bout against Michael Chandler and instead turned his attention towards bigger moneymakers like a fight with Nate Diaz or a trilogy with McGregor.
In the past, White has said when a fighter starts talking about retirement, it’s probably time to hang up the gloves. He even admitted that’s been his stance yet he just couldn’t let Nurmagomedov walk away as he intended.
There’s no arguing that Nurmagomedov is the best lightweight in the sport and one of the greatest fighters of all-time. But if he’s not interested in fighting again, let the division move on without him because now the UFC is left without a champion at 155 pounds and quite possibly a disgruntled fighter in Poirier, who by all accounts should have a title around his waist right now.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
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