Daniel Cormier believes Dustin Poirier will find first Conor McGregor knockout 'difficult to forget'
Daniel Cormier talked about his own experiences to explain why Dustin Poirier will have difficulties to forget his first fight with Conor McGregor in their rematch in UFC 257.
Cormier, a former UFC double-champion who has retired this year after his second loss to UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, has faced three opponents more than once.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the now-MMA analyst gave his thoughts on how having lost a fight can affect a fighter's mind when facing an adversary for the second time.
"You know, I think [that] when you lose a fight... I mean, I know a lot about it, right? I fought Bumble [Anthony Johnson] twice, I fought [Jon] Jones twice, and Stipe [Miocic] three times; seven of my 25 fights it's three dudes, right? So, I think any fighter can convince himself that he just got caught. And I think that's what Dustin Poirier was going to have to rely on in order to give himself a chance. Difficult to forget, but you want to remember it and use it to motivate you to do better in the rematch," reviewed Cormier. (H/T Sportskeeda for quotes)
Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor met in the octagon for the first time back in 2014. In that fight, the Irishman sent The Diamond to the canvas in just under two minutes during the first round.
Daniel Cormier believes there are more contenders for the UFC Lightweight belt than Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier
Although most of the championship expectations are being put over the Dustin Poirier versus Conor McGregor bout in UFC 257, Daniel Cormier sees other contenders that are ready for the title shot.
In the same interview, Cormier highlighted how Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev are being left out of the UFC Lightweight championship discussion.
Since the division's champion Khabib Nurmagomedov left his belt vacant after retiring, UFC has been wondering who should be in the title fight of the highly-disputed weight class.
While most opinions surround Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, Cormier suggested that other fighters, like Oliveira and Makhachev, are at the right levels to become a UFC champion.
"Let's not forget about Charles Olivera. I mean, after what he did to Tony Ferguson, this dude is the real deal. So I think that you add him to the mix," said Cormier. "[I would like to see] Islam Makhachev [step in for the title]. I really believe that Islam Makhachev is as talented as anyone in the world. And he does have the fighting style to present a lot of problems for people."
Do you think Charles Oliveira or Islam Makhachev could get a title shot for the UFC lightweight title next? Or should the belt stay with the winner of Conor McGregor versus Dustin Poirier? Sound off in the comments.