Chael Sonnen intrigued by Dustin Poirier's disinterest in fighting Conor McGregor - "That's an interesting thing"
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will likely never fight again if 'The Diamond' has his way. This stance, though, has drawn the interest of three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen. 'The American Gangster' has taken to YouTube to air out his thoughts on the matter.
Sonnen finds Poirier's dismissal of a fourth matchup with McGregor curious. When expanding on his take on Poirier's stance regarding another McGregor bout, Sonnen believes that 'The Diamond's' decision is one made by his priorities.
"The idea that Dustin Poirier is turning down Conor, at least publicly and at least the media, which is the greatest way of getting Conor, is to use the public and use the media. And he's not taking it. He's passing on that. It does show us how focused and determined he is to win this belt and to beat Islam [Makhachev], and that's an interesting thing."
Check out Chael Sonnen on Dustin Poirier's dismissal of another Conor McGregor fight (3:54):
McGregor and Poirier have fought each other thrice, each with wildly different outcomes. The pair's first outing, which was at featherweight, saw the Irishman spark 'The Diamond' in round one with a TKO. Their second fight, years later, was a lightweight clash and one of Poirier's finest performances.
He dismantled McGregor over two rounds in a competitive bout to TKO him. Their trilogy fight, though, was even more shocking. After losing most of round one, McGregor snapped his shin in half after stepping back following a missed straight left, leading to a TKO via doctor stoppage for Poirier.
Dustin Poirier once chose a Conor McGregor fight over a title fight
Prior to their trilogy bout, Dustin Poirier's TKO of Conor McGregor at UFC 257 had put him in a position to challenge Charles Oliveira for the promotion's lightweight title. However, 'The Diamond' chose to face 'The Notorious,' at least according to renowned MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter, who broke the news on X/Twitter.
Bronsteter claims that Poirier decided to pursue the trilogy bout, which was reportedly shared with him by UFC CEO Dana White. Now, years later, Poirier has passed on a potential fourth bout with McGregor, as he is focused on beating Islam Makahchev for lightweight gold.
This is especially important given that it may very well be Poirier's final crack at an undisputed title.