UFC commentator Joe Rogan reckons that Conor McGregor is not 'the same animal' he was the first time he fought Dustin Poirier, leading to his knockout loss.
The Dubliner was stopped in the second round of their UFC 257 showdown, with McGregor suffering his first-ever KO loss in the UFC.
In an almost polar opposite outcome to the pair's 2014 clash, Rogan thinks the different outcome can be attributed to the big change in both fighters over the last six years.
"Dustin is a different person," he said on The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast.
"He's a different person than he was when they first fought.
"And Conor is a different person too. But I don't think he's the same animal that he was back then."
But despite this, Rogan insists that McGregor fought well in the opening round.
However, he added that McGregor didn't have an answer for Poirier's low calf kicks - which ultimately led to his defeat.
He added: "And also, their strategies are different. Someone could say, 'Oh, it's tough to be a savage when you're waking up in silk sheets.'
"Yeah, [but] he fought well in the beginning. He fought well.
"He landed good shots and Dustin admitted there was one time where he was caught and he was in a little bit of trouble. But the strategy of those low kicks.
"Conor has that wide stance and he puts a lot of weight on that front leg. And he did not seem to have an answer for those low kicks.
"And that is just a f***ing new element of the game that seems unstoppable. Because you can only take a couple.
"Khabib [Nurmagomedov] was saying that when he fought Justin Gaethje that those low kicks were as hard as he's ever been hit before.
"Even he probably recognised he couldn't take too many of those."
