Daniel Cormier says people are disrespecting Dustin Poirier ahead of UFC 257 rematch with Conor McGregor
The recently confirmed lightweight bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor has the whole MMA community excited.
Former 2 division UFC champion and commentator/analyst Daniel Cormier is no different.
However, Cormier believes that people are disrespecting former interim champion, Dustin Poirier, ahead of the UFC 257 encounter.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani Cormier shared his opinion.
“Dustin is a dog man. He is a full-on Lafayette yard pitbull sitting in the middle of the yard. You put a pole in your yard and you put a chain on your dog so he won't go away. That’s Dustin Poirier. And Dustin Poirier is not going to Abu Dhabi to get beat up by Conor McGregor. He is so powerful, he hits so hard and he is so much more durable. A part of the reason why he got knocked out in their previous fight was that he was draining himself too much to reach 145.”
“Now at 155 he is more full, he’s big, he’s strong. His skills have improved tenfold. He’s become a champion. He got that belt put around his waist, they can't take that away from him… I can’t believe how disrespectful the sports world has been towards Dustin Poirier”
Dustin and Conor earlier faced off in 2014 at UFC 178.
Conor would go on to win the fight via a first-round knockout. However, the fight took place at featherweight which many believed was one division lower than Dustin Poirier’s ideal weight class.
The rematch at UFC 257 will be at lightweight with major title ramifications.
Dustin Poirier believes the rematch against Conor is not about revenge
Dustin Poirier was emotionally charged going into his first encounter with Conor McGregor more than six years ago, which led to a disastrous result, but he expects things will be different for the rematch at UFC 257.
However ‘The Diamond’ has evolved both as a fighter and as a person in the 6 years since the last fight between the two took place.
While Dustin undoubtedly would like to secure a win against Conor, he has made it clear that emotions will take a back seat in this encounter and that he will look to make a statement as a fighter, rather than be on the lookout for revenge.