"It was only going to get worse" - Dustin Poirier claims he would have finished Conor McGregor at UFC 264 if not for the leg break
Dustin Poirier believes he still would have finished Conor McGregor even if the Irishman didn’t suffer his leg break.
Back at UFC 264 last month, Dustin Poirier claimed his second straight win over Conor McGregor in Las Vegas by way of a TKO (doctor's stoppage).
McGregor came flying out of the block to begin proceedings, but in the end, Dustin Poirier got the upper hand before a broken leg brought a premature end to the bout.
Was Dustin Poirier destined for UFC 264 success?
The next step for 'The Diamond' would appear to be challenging Charles Oliveira for a shot at the UFC lightweight title, whereas McGregor just needs to focus his attention on trying to get back to full fitness.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani during the return of The MMA Hour, Dustin Poirier made it crystal clear that he was confident that he'd have won the fight - broken leg or no broken leg.
Check out Poirier's appearance on The MMA Hour below:
“If it didn’t happen at the end of that round [the first] it was gonna happen in the second or third round. It was only gonna get worse. I definitely felt in control of the fight, even on the feet.”
Dustin Poirier has a lot of great attributes, and while his abilities inside the cage are at the top of that list, his honesty is just as admirable.
He’s one of the greatest lightweights of his generation and anyone who watched the third Conor fight will know that the former two-weight UFC champion was in a world of trouble before the contest was stopped.
Dustin Poirier has already said that he’d entertain a fourth fight against McGregor under the right set of circumstances, but in this game, it’s near enough impossible to predict what’s actually going to happen.
Charles Oliveira is waiting in the wings to defend his title against Poirier in what will be an intriguing veteran title showdown, with Conor McGregor just hoping that he can recover and still get back to his very best - or at least try.
If not, Dustin Poirier will be happy enough to focus on his own rise to the top.