Did Conor McGregor retire after his UFC 257 loss to Dustin Poirier?
Conor McGregor’s fighting career is far from over following his loss in the high-stakes rematch against former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.
Speculations about a fighter's retirement following a loss of this magnitude are not uncommon in the MMA community. But McGregor laid those speculations to rest before stepping out of the octagon.
After suffering the first-ever knockout loss of his career, Conor McGregor reflected on his performance in a classy post-fight interview, making his intentions to fight in the UFC at least one more time in 2021 very clear.
“It’s hard to overcome inactivity… it’s the inactivity, and that’s it. But Dustin’s got some fire and he got it in here. I have to dust it off and come back, and that’s what I will do. I need activity… You don’t get away with inactivity in this business, and that’s the way it is so… I’ll take my licks… It’s a tough one to swallow… I just wanna go back to the hotel and chill with my kids and regroup… that’s it”, Conor McGregor told Jon Anik.
The UFC 257 fight was Conor McGregor’s first appearance in the octagon since his win over Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in January 2020.
The Irish superstar came into the fight against Dustin Poirier to reclaim the UFC title that he won in 2016 to become the first simultaneous two-division champion in the promotion’s history. However, that was not to be.
Conor McGregor's options inside the UFC are not limited
Conor McGregor’s competitive rivalry with Dustin Poirier is far from over, as both fighters showed a keen interest in a potential trilogy fight.
John Cavanagh, Conor McGregor’s longtime coach and head coach at SBG Ireland, expressed the Irishman's desire to fight Dustin Poirier while hinting at a potential move to boxing if the fight does not materialise by summer.
“He’s already harassing everybody to get a rematch. We would love the rematch. I don’t think Dustin is against that. If we could get the rematch before the summer, that’d be amzing. If it’s not to be, I guess I don’t really know. Maybe he drifts off into boxing”, Cavanagh told Ariel Helwani.
In spite of his recent loss, McGregor is still the biggest name in UFC.
Apart from Dustin Poirier, McGregor has a history with Nate Diaz and former interim champion Justin Gaethje. Like Conor McGregor, both these fighters, considered to be great stylistic matchups for the Irishman, are coming off losses in their previous fights.