Almost exactly a year to the day since his emphatic victory over Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone at UFC 246, Conor McGregor will emerge from his latest retirement at UFC 257 in a mouthwatering showdown against one of the lightweight division's most dangerous men, Dustin Poirier.

A rematch of their 2014 featherweight clash, both Poirier and McGregor have achieved championship status since the Irishman stopped his American counterpart at UFC 178.

 

Since crossing paths, the pair have gone on to become legends of the promotion with Poirier being crowned interim lightweight king while McGregor famously secured titles in two different weight divisions.

Now on a collision course with the supremacy of the 155lb division the goal once more, the duo will draw swords in the main event on the final night of action during the UFC's third tenure on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

Ahead of that unmissable clash - exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office HD - BTSport.com has dug into the archives to bring you all eight of McGregor's UFC knockout victories. Enjoy!

McGregor vs Brimage – April 6th, 2013 in Stockholm, Sweden

Having conquered the Cage Warriors circuit - becoming a two-weight world champion there, too - McGregor made his UFC debut on the undercard of UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs Latifi.

His opponent, Marcus Brimage, managed to last just 67 seconds before succumbing to a typically brutal onslaught.

The excitement that was already beginning to build around McGregor before the fight promptly ratcheted up another notch.

McGregor vs Brandao – July 19th, 2014 in Dublin, Ireland

Headlining in his home town of Dublin, McGregor lived up to the billing against one of the most feared fighters in the UFC featherweight division.

Diego Brandao was pumped up after vowing to end the media hype around McGregor but soon found himself out-matched by the Irishman’s speed and accuracy.

A vicious left hook did the trick in downing Brandao midway through the first round to send the crowd into raptures.

McGregor vs Poirier, UFC 178 – September 27th, 2014 in Las Vegas, USA

Another opponent, another left-hand knockout. Just two months after seeing off Brandao, McGregor catapulted himself into featherweight title contention with this first-round TKO of Dustin Poirier.

McGregor floored Poirier with his left hook before pounding him three times on the floor to make sure of the victory in Las Vegas. Just as Mystic Mac had predicted.

McGregor vs Siver – January 18th, 2015 in Boston, USA

Dennis Siver was no match for The Notorious, whose superior speed and agility proved far too much for the sluggish 36-year-old to handle.

After Siver somehow survived the first round, McGregor pounced in the second and sent the German crashing down in front of a pro-Irish Boston crowd.

McGregor vs Mendes, UFC 189 – July 11th, 2015 in Las Vegas, USA

McGregor was put through his sternest test yet after an opening four minutes that saw him grounded by Chad Mendes twice.

But 'The Notorious' demonstrated his toughness by bouncing back to his feet and releasing a flurry of punches as his opponent tired.

A right-left one-two did the damage and saw Mendes bounce off the cage and hit the canvas.

McGregor vs Aldo, UFC 194 – December 12th, 2015 in Las Vegas, USA

After a year of back-and-forth between the pair, just one punch and just 13 seconds was all it took to see off Jose Aldo and settle one of the most hyped UFC fights of all time.

The pair danced briefly, sizing each other up before Aldo made his move. McGregor evaded the punch and caught the Brazilian with a trademark left on the counter, sending him crashing to the floor.

It was McGregor’s cleanest knockout and saw him unify the UFC featherweight titles.

McGregor vs Alvarez, UFC 205 – November 12th, 2016 in New York City, USA

Arguably his most accomplished appearance in the Octagon saw McGregor become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles across two divisions simultaneously as he claimed Eddie Alvarez’s lightweight belt.

A combination of deadly accuracy from McGregor sent his opponent to the canvas before two more shots confirmed a landmark TKO victory in New York City.

McGregor vs Cowboy, UFC 246 – January 18th, 2020 in Las Vegas, USA

Having starved fans of his presence for more than 15 months, McGregor roared back into action with a punch-perfect performance against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone.

The 32-year-old needed just 40 seconds to find the finish, stopping his game rival with a creative blend of striking from his unparalleled arsenal of weaponry.

Watch UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2 exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office HD on Saturday 23 January from 1am. Details on how to order this unmissable event will be released in due course.