Dana White compares McGregor’s current situation to ‘Rocky 3’

UFC boss Dana White has warned Conor McGregor that he is facing his defining moment from ‘Rocky 3’.

The Dubliner suffered a surprising knockout loss to Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi in just his third UFC fight in four years.

After his meteoric rise to fame and fortune, he now fears for his future in the sport.

It remains the top box office draw for the UFC and White compared McGregor’s fate to that of Rocky Balboa losing to Clubber Lang in the classic film.

“There are two ways this goes, hungrier or fed up,” White said. “He has the money. When you think about it, this is like Rocky 3. I’m a huge Rocky fan.

“When you get off a 310 foot yacht, do you know what I mean? You’re living that good life It’s hard to be a savage when you live like him and have the money that he has.

“On his way up, he was a starving child. He had no money and wanted nice things.

“I wanted nice suits, nice cars, nice houses. It has everything you ever wanted. Then I do not know. It goes this way or that way.

“I think (defeat) will make him hungrier.”

McGregor was seen on crutches after the fight, and he admitted that Poirier’s persistent kicks to his calves took a toll on him.

“The accumulated kicks, for sure,” he said. “I knew it when I saw that he had Thiago Alves in his corner … I thought, ‘these’ … I knew what was coming. I knew he was going to try the low kicks.

“He’s also experienced in throwing those low kicks before, so this is my first time.

“One of them went down early and Thiago said, ‘That was good.’

“And I was in my head, thinking, ‘Bitch, that was a good one ‘and then it started to pile up. “