DUSTIN POIRIER's coaches devised an 'ingenious' game plan for the American's rematch with Conor McGregor, according to former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
The Diamond put on a career-best performance in his January clash with The Notorious, whom he knocked out in the second round of their Fight Island showdown.
Poirier strategically took apart McGregor's lead leg with debilitating calf kicks in the first round and the early stages of the second.
The crippling strikes restricted the former two-division champion's movement and left him unable to throw his left hand with its usual power.
And Alvarez, like many others, was left impressed by the simple but effective strategy.
The Underground King, 37, told SunSport: "It was a hell of a fight."
"I think Dustin and his cornermen, like the trainers there, Mike Brown and the guys who kind of came and formulated that game plan to smash McGregor's leg and to kind of compromise him there first, it was ingenious.
"It was ingenious. It was a great way to take away his left hand.
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"Rather than try to move away from his left hand and avoid it, just smash the one thing that won't allow him to plant hard and go heavy on it. They did a good job there."
Alvarez – who is now plying his trade in Asia with ONE Championship – was also impressed by Poirier's ability to battle through early adversity.
He continued: "And then Dustin put them sprints on him that he does so well and he was able to finish.
"It was just a picture-perfect beautiful night for him. He was super focused. He wasn't totally winning the exchanges earlier in the fight.
"Conor was kind of keeping him at bay but he found a way. And that's what champions do."
Team Poirier went into their second encounter with McGregor fully confident their game plan would see the pride of Lousiana exact revenge on the UFC's poster boy.
Immediately after the fight, Poirier's boxing coach, Dyah Davis, told SunSport: "It feels absolutely amazing.
"We all as a team put it all together. We knew we would chop him down early, that we'd chop him down like a tree.
"Start from the base, start from the bottom, and work our way up.
"So we started with the leg kicks and eventually put the punches together and in time put him out out of there.
"He typically comes out as a fast starter with the heel kicks… a lot of kicks, flash stuff.
"He came out poised and I think he was looking to get those rounds in. And it just didn't play out in his favour."
Poirier and McGregor, both 32, will renew their near seven-year-old rivalry on July 10 in the main event of UFC 264 in Las Vegas.
McGregor believes he has a better handle on the debilitating calf kicks and has vowed to put on a spectacular performance in their Sin City series decider.
The Irishman said: "July 10th I will do this absolutely flawlessly. We have these clowns sussed and fully!
"They wanna play a game of tactics? No problem, see you in there.
"You’ve awoken a beast. A beast with the backing of a much higher power!
"Say your prayers."
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