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Dustin Poirier was emotionally charged going into his first meeting with Conor McGregor more than six years ago, which led to a disastrous result, but he hopes things will be different for the rematch at UFC 257.
Poirier has been sparing no words about it in the years since he was knocked out by McGregor just 96 seconds after their featherweight fight at UFC 178. He let the cheeky Irishman get into his head, which is why he was compromised before entering. to the octagon. . That was evident during the pre-fight media showdown, as the two sides had to part ways and Poirier told McGregor that “it’s not (expletive), boy.”
Poirier’s quick shot by McGregor validated him in a big way and set his career path in an unprecedented upward direction. Poirier was the first ranked opponent who had defeated in the UFC, and from there, “The Notorious” won titles in two divisions and became the face of the sport.
However, the reality is very different years later. Poirier has risen through a division and has firmly established himself as one of the best lightweight heavyweights in UFC history, claiming an interim title and recording a series of distinctive victories on his resume. He’s no longer the hot head he was in his twenties, but rather a 31-year-old husband and father who has learned a lot about himself as a fighter and as a person.
Those experiences see Poirier enter the rematch with McGregor on January 23 with a healthy mindset.
“Obviously he was a great fighter finishing a bunch of guys before me in his UFC career, but at this point we’re both a lot more established and we have a lot more experience, just more mature fighters, and I think you get a” One fight. Completely different here, “Poirier told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I was excited in the first one. I wanted to hurt the boy. This time I just want to make fun of him, I just want to beat him. This is business. This is not ill will towards the boy.
“When I was younger, I used to fight with a lot of emotion. This is not the same for me. It’s not about getting back at me. This is not like revenge for me. It’s about advancing my career, putting my family in a better place. It’s not about getting a guy who caught me back. This is just a business. “
McGregor is known for his ability to shake up opponents with his words, and Poirier succumbed to that the first time. It would be easy to hold on to that mistake over the years, especially since McGregor has made his mark on the sport, but Poirier said he learned to let it go a long time ago.
As their positions in the 155-pound rankings have remained close, a rematch between Poirier and McGregor never seemed like an impossibility. Poirier has been asked about it multiple times over the years, but he has never stepped out of line to campaign for the fight or show signs of despair.
Putting together the rematch now didn’t necessarily seem like the UFC’s priority. However, McGregor made his frustration at his lack of activity in 2020 was well known, and after exchanging some social networking messages with Poirier, all joined in a somewhat natural.
Given McGregor’s star power in the sport, he largely has the ability to choose his shots in terms of matchmaking. Poirier admits he’s not entirely sure what’s behind McGregor’s motivation for choosing him, but he sees it as a very logical reservation.
“I knew it was a possibility, but I never pursued it,” Poirier said. “It makes sense, I think, at this point. The rankings, the availability of fighters. We both come from victories. I didn’t chase it. I didn’t think about it all the time, but I knew it was a possibility. “
The rematch with McGregor will mark the third time Poirier has met an opponent for the second time. His two previous rematch situations went well, with him beating Max Holloway and Eddie Alvarez the second time they fought. The difference from those matches, however, is that Poirier did not suffer a loss to either of them in the original meeting.
However, Poirier is not so concerned with dynamics. You know the progress you have made from a mental and physical point of view, making it difficult to relate to something from 2014.
“It’s the same, honestly,” Poirier said. “Going into Max’s fight, I knew he was a different fighter. I knew he was a different fighter. I couldn’t really get any momentum out of the first fight, and something like this here with this. This is a completely different fight. We are both completely different fighters, and I’m not really looking back on that first fight. “
Despite losing the first, Poirier seems to have some very real advantages for the rematch. One of those is simply MMA activity. McGregor has fought only twice in the past four years, while Poirier has fought eight times during that same span.
The scale also tips in Poirier’s favor when it comes to recent high-level experiences. However, he said McGregor should not be overlooked in any way. Inactive or not, Poirier knows there are many things to be careful of.
“We have to go in there and find out how it lines up,” Poirier said. “Looking at pictures and things like that, I can tell you that the guy has one of the best counter-dos in the game. No doubt about that. His timing, his balance, his understanding of distance when the guys are being too heavy on the front foot and throwing powerful punches. It’s a great counterattack. It really is. I give him credit for that.
“I am sure that he is always evolving and working to improve. I think people, because he’s been subdued, he’s a great puncher, people underestimate his running game. I think his jiu-jitsu and fighting is better than people give him credit for. I really do. I’m not underestimating this guy in any aspect of mixed martial arts. I hope he comes out as a mixed martial artist, not a boxer, not a puncher. He comes to fight, and so do I. “
When someone signs up to fight McGregor, money and the idea of a “Red Panties Night” become part of the narrative. Poirier was in talks to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 254 in October, but the fight did not materialize because terms with the UFC could not be reached.
Poirier did not give exact figures for what the financial side of McGregor’s fights looks like to him, but confirmed that he received a new UFC contract with many incentives, and stressed that he would not be fighting McGregor at UFC 257 if he did not. I am not satisfied.
However, one of the bets that remains unknown is what the fight means for the lightweight division. Reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement following a submission win over Justin Gaethje in October, but since then there has been speculation about whether that will hold. UFC president Dana White has frequently expressed confidence that he will get Nurmagomedov back for a fight, and said they will not take away the title.
Poirier curious to know what will happen, but if Nurmagomedov keeps his word, said his confrontation with McGregor should be designated as a fight for the undisputed title.
“I think if Khabib retires and doesn’t come back, then I’m next in line for the title shot, and this could be the title fight,” Poirier said. “This could be for the undisputed belt. I think that would make sense. Dana says one thing, Khabib says another. Who knows what the truth is? Time will tell.”
Whether the title is up for grabs or not, Poirier said he’s 100 percent focused on winning at UFC 257. It’s the only thing on his mind and he hopes McGregor will take the same approach, even though his team recently came out and discussed a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao.
“He could be (overlooking me), and that would be a big mistake,” Poirier said. “That would be a big mistake. He could be fighting Pacquiao. “
