UFC: Dustin Poirier Talks Potential Rematch With Conor McGregor
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier, believes that Conor McGregor has a bigger reason for publicly accepting a rematch with him.
Aware that McGregor is angling for a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao, Poirier believe’s that the Irishman would benefit from fighting him first.
McGregor’s Reasons
Speaking on THE FIGHT With Teddy Atlas (as transcribed by MMA Junkie), Poirier speculated that the UFC may insist that McGregor accepts one more fight in the Octagon before making another appearance in the boxing ring.
“Going back to why I think he wants this fight, it’s because he’s angling to fight Pacquiao,” Poirier said. “That was in the news. So I don’t know if the UFC wants him to fight one more time before they allow him to fight Pacquiao or if he just wants to get one more this year before starting next year with the Pacquiao fight, but what better way to do it against another southpaw?
“I think that might be his mindset. He wants to fight another southpaw before he fights another southpaw. I don’t know what’s going on, but I think that’s what the alignment is.”
Although it is unclear just how serious the talks for a boxing match between McGregor and Pacquiao are, if there is one fighter who can make a blockbuster crossover boxing match between an MMA fighter and a boxer, it’s certainly ‘The Notorious’. In 2017, he fought Floyd Mayweather in one of the most lucrative combat sport fights of all time.
Gunning For A Rematch With Khabib
Poirier also believes another reason McGregor may want a rematch is because of the title shot implications the bout may have. Given that ‘The Diamond’ is the number two lightweight contender in the UFC, and that Conor is still arguably the promotion’s biggest draw, it is very plausible that the winner will earn a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov. The reigning lightweight champion holds title fight wins over both men.
“Khabib, the current champion, said that if Conor or Tony fights me and wins then he’ll give him another title shot, so that’s in his head too,” Poirier said. “I think that’s creating a perfect storm, and it’s coming together that he’s coming out in public and saying, ‘Hey, I want to fight Dustin Poirier this year.'”
Different Outcome The Second Time Around
In their original bout five years ago at UFC 178, McGregor knocked out Poirier in the first round, but the 31 year old believes a rematch with the former two division champion would go very differently in a rematch.
“I’m not going to go in there and fight with anger,” Poirier said. “I’m going in there and fighting with skills. My last few fights I just felt something different happening in the lead-up to the fight. It was less pressure. In a weird way I care less.
“I cared too much before. I cared too much, and that blinded me, and I got in the way of myself. I care, but not like I used to. It’s hard for the average person to understand, but it’s important for me to keep that mindset. I’m going to be all right. Whatever happens I’m going to be all right.”
After seeing Poirier’s comments, McGregor took to social media to confirm his suspicions.
How do you think a rematch between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor play out?
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