Poirier in his first fight with McGregor had the defence of the typical MMA fighter against boxing or striking in general, which is to attack, then get out moving backward, and he would bring an arm up to cover. Connor snuck his left hand past the guard and knocked out Poirier.
But after that fight, Poirier developed a game where he shoulders rolled or rolled with punches that hit him, on top of using a dynamic guard to punish his opponents every time he blocked. To quote max Holloway between rounds, “He’s blocking funny”
This gave Poirier the ability to literally advance and ‘stand and bang’ without getting hurt badly, and start to push the tempo of the fights in striking exchanges.
McGregor in the second fight looked like he was landing more shots on Poirier, not surprising considering how lanky he is.
But Poirier wasn’t put out. His chin did not get better, rather he wasn’t taking the full impact of the punches, and more than the calf kicks, he was able to basically put pressure on Connor.
And if Connor could do the same, it would have been more competitive, but Connor isn’t a fighter used to being bullied in the stand-up.
Remember in his fight with Nate Diaz? He was out striking Nate, but Nate weathered it and pushed forward, Connor got lit up, and he was so uncomfortable he basically did a panic shot, which then got him choked.
So many Muay thai or even boxing gyms just have guys hit pads all the time, and the defence is just covering or moving out of the pocket in trouble, or stand and bang.
But I noticed the best boxers/strikers often have really well-developed defence.
Alot of fighters will understand distance, have good timing for counters. But if they can’t put the pressure on, or can’t counter right away, they will fall apart.
But the guys with solid defence push pressure easier because they are less fearful, and when they are being attacked, often can hand in there and survive, look for openings and take over far easier.
What's the deal with Adeel? 