Dustin Poirier believes the "ship has sailed" on a Conor McGregor rematch, says "I don't need that bad energy in my life"
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier shot down any hopes of a fourth dance with rival Conor McGregor. 'The Diamond' will have his second chance at UFC undisputed gold as he challenges divisional king Islam Makhachev for the belt at UFC 302 on June 1.
At the moment, the 35-year-old MMA star is only concerned about getting the belt and nothing else. Not even a potential big-money fight against 'The Notorious' interests him.
In an interview with ESPN, Dustin Poirier had this to say (via Championship Rounds):
“I think that ship has sailed. All I want is the UFC lightweight championship...I don’t feel the need to fight [Conor] again at all. I don’t need that [bad] energy in my life.”
Poirier arguably reached superstardom when he fought Conor McGregor twice in 2021. Their second and third bouts, which headlined UFC 257 and UFC 264, generated 1.6 and 1.8 million pay-per-view buys, respectively. Both of which 'The Diamond' won via knockout, making him a household name in the process - not to mention giving him massive paydays.
Dustin Poirier ends rivalry with Conor McGregor in 2021 by finishing him in trilogy bout
Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor had one of the best and most well-documented rivalries in MMA history. The pair had a total of three fights, with 'The Diamond' besting 'The Notorious' in the second and third bouts.
The two first met back in 2014 when both men were mere up-and-comers in the organization. McGregor was the hottest commodity then, using his marvelous mic skills and piston-like left cross to skyrocket him to the top. Poirier had a 16-3 record with three consecutive wins before meeting McGregor, who handily defeated him via KO in the first round.
The rematch happened over six years later, at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Poirier handed McGregor his first career KO loss in the second round, pulverizing him with calf kicks and hard punches to the face.
The third and final bout between the two happened at UFC 264, where Poirier once again won via TKO. The bout was stopped by the doctor as McGregor broke his foot upon hitting Poirier's shin with a hard leg kick.