Photos | See how Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have transformed since their first fight

UFC lightweight contenders Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier both look very different than they did ahead of their first fight.

McGregor and Poirier, the No. 4 and 2-ranked lightweights respectively, are slated to collide in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23. The bout will be a rematch of a 2014 featherweight fight, which McGregor won by first-round knockout.

Given that McGregor and Poirier’s rematch is occurring at heavier weight class than their first fight, and that they’re both almost seven years older than they were at the time of their initial meeting, it should come as no surprise that they’re both looking quite different.

See how the two fighters have changed since their 2014 featherweight encounter, as documented by the UFC on Twitter, below:

THE EVOLUTION… 📈

[ #UFC257 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/WkKY8xT9hy

— UFC (@ufc) January 11, 2021

Conor McGregor will enter his rematch with Poirier having not fought since January, 2020, when he defeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone by first-round TKO. It took him just 40 seconds to seal the deal with a series of shoulder strikes, a head kick, and a volley of ground strikes.  

Prior to his win over Cerrone, McGregor had not tasted victory since all the way back in November of 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to become a two-division UFC champion. After his win over Alvarez, he came up short in a blockbuster boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017, then tapped out to undefeated UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018.

Dustin Poirier, on the other hand, last fought in June, when he defeated New Zealand’s Dan Hooker by decision in one of the best fights of 2020. The victory over Hooker separated Poirier from his own submission loss to Nurmagomedov, which went down in September, 2019.

Who do you think will come out on top when the 2021 versions of Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier collide in the Octagon at UFC 257? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below!