No contest as Alvarez lands illegal knees twice:

Unfortunate end to phenomenal second round.

A huge Lightweight scrap headlines the UFC 211 Prelims, as former division king Eddie Alvarez looks to recover from his loss to Conor McGregor, in a dangerous matchup against heavy hitter Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier. #3 ranked Alvarez took the 155lbs title from Rafael Dos Anjos in spectacular fashion before his most recent defeat, while Poirier recovered from a KO loss to Michael Johnson as he dominated Lightweight veteran Jim Miller. Alvarez must utilise his wrestling and not allow himself to get drawn into a striking affair with 'The Diamond' who can crack and end 'The Underground King{s}' night early on. Big implications for the victor, in this Fight Of The Night contender.

The opening of three scheduled rounds was sanctioned by long time referee Herb Dean, as both men threw early fronts to draw reactions in the usual feeling out process. Poirier landed with a good body kick as he pushed Alvarez backward. Both men then exchanged body shots with Poirier following with a solid straight left, drawing a frail takedown attempt from Eddie, easily defended by 'The Diamond'. Another left landed flush for Poirier as Eddie looked nervous. A decent right hand scored for Poirier as Eddie looked to respond. First round to 'The Diamond'.

Poirier looked extremely loose at the beginning of the second, as Alvarez threw fire with a right hand, and shot for a double leg at the fenced, but Dustin was so far successful in his defence. Claret was flowing out of the eye of Alvarez after Poirier almost starched him, as he survived and both men began swinging for the fences. Both men in big trouble. Big takedown landed for Alvarez, as he looked to secure a front face lock, and then controversially landed two huge illegal knee, as Herb Dean mistaken the new unified rules for the old rules pre 2017. Dean then declared that the fight was over with Poirier telling how "it feels like something is pushing on my eye", suspecting a fractured orbital. Illegal knee results in a bizarre no contest.

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