Dustin Poirier has vindicated a claim Conor McGregor has been making about himself for years

Somewhere in the world - if he is not wrapped up in Call of Duty... duties - Conor McGregor will be sagely nodding his head.

"Nobody can take that left hand shot," declared McGregor after he had KO'ed Jose Aldo last December. This could be one of the reasons McGregor is dropping back down from the meatier 170 lbs division. While he has run through the featherweight division, of which he is champion, the Dublier also fancies a crack at the UFC's lightweights. He fancies cracking a few of them too. One man that has felt the force of that McGregor left hand. Dustin Poirier was dropped by McGregor before a flurry of hammer-fist blows ended their 2014 bout. On UFC Unfiltered, Poirier gave credit to McGregor's striking. Now up at 155 lbs, and up against Michael Johnson this weekend, Diamond said:

"I can’t blame it on the weight or the talk. I mean, he hit me with a good shot and then I tried to circle, I planted my feet and he hit me with another good shot and I went down.... "The track record speaks for itself - McGregor is the champ right now. But I think his are the hardest hands I have ever felt."

A confidence boost for the modest featherweight champion before he decides want belt he wants to look after next. Listen to The GAA Hour live in Castlebar with Brendan Devenney, James Horan, and Pillar Caffrey. Subscribe here on iTunes.