“Conor McGregor, no doubt about it. As the biggest puncher I’ve fought? Yeah. He’s a special individual for sure."
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Dustin Poirier is 2-1 versus McGregor, having lost their first fight at featherweight in 2014 but winning both fights at lightweight in 2021. The Irishman got inside Poirier’s mind the first time they met, but when they fought again in 2021, the Irishman was a lot more courteous. Many MMA fans questioned whether McGregor’s change in attitude helped to his defeat. In the third bout, McGregor resorted to his old school mind games for the third bout, insulting Poirier’s wife and even threatening to murder his opponent.
When Patrick Bet-David inquired about his opponent list, Poirier said, “Conor McGregor, no doubt about it. As the biggest puncher I’ve fought? Yeah. He’s a special individual for sure. Fought him in 2014 – lost. That was when his trajectory was… sky’s the limit. He was on his way up, tore through everybody and he became a two-weight world champion.But, then I fought him twice in 2021. It was still the same [his power], it’s very dangerous, it’s just I felt differently mentally going into it.”
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Despite the fact that Poirier had seven years to develop between his first and second fights, the 33-year-old feels it was a shift in his mental attitude that affected the outcome.Poirier said, “For sure my skills have gotten better over the years, all the work wasn’t done in vain. But my mental side is what lost me that first fight and won me the last two fights.”
Poirier has been aggressively seeking for his next fight after not fighting since losing the UFC lightweight championship to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269. The Diamond has been pleading for a bout with Nate Diaz, which he claims he has accepted twice, and is eager to face Colby Covington on July 30. Nothing has been decided upon as of yet.
Stephen Thompson declines the quick turnaround fight and wants Usman next.
