GSP's coach claims Dustin Poirier will beat Conor McGregor again in a trilogy fight
According to Firas Zahabi, Georges St-Pierre's long-term coach, Dustin Poirier is likely to replicate his UFC 257 success if he fights Conor McGregor for a third time. Zahabi thinks that Poirier's ability to endure heavy damage will help him come out on top once again against 'The Notorious One'.
Zahabi is the owner and head coach of Tristar Gym, where St-Pierre used to train. He started coaching the legendary UFC star back in 2008.
In a recent video on Tristar Gym's YouTube channel, Zahabi analyzed the highly-publicised UFC 257 bout between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. The 40-year-old stated that if a trilogy fight between McGregor and Poirier comes to fruition, 'The Diamond' will get the better of the former two-division champ for the second time.
"If there was a trilogy match (between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier), I will pick Dustin Poirier again. I think Dustin Poirier has made his peace getting hit by McGregor and he just took it so well that I think he outboxes McGregor in the rematch. As they continue to develop and fight and change, things might change, of course," said Zahabi.
Conor McGregor has now lost two of his three fights in the UFC lightweight division, and the 32-year-old will now be hoping to get back into the win column. The Irishman's coach John Kavanagh has said that McGregor is aiming for a trilogy fight against Poirier in May.
Firas Zahabi thinks Conor McGregor 'gave up' in the second round against Dustin Poirier
Later in the interview, Firaz Zahabi added that he felt Conor McGregor 'gave up' against Poirier when The Diamond pushed the ex-champ against the cage while unleashing a flurry of punches.
"I think in the second round when McGregor was getting hit along the fence, I found it strange that it seemed that he already gave up on the fight before he hit the canvas... The fight was getting tough. His left hand didn’t work and he is not used to that. He is not used to hitting guys with the big left and then keep fighting," said Zahabi.
In earlier videos, Zahabi had referred to McGregor as one of the greatest punchers in the UFC, even a cut above middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Immediately after their fight, both Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier suggested that they are not averse to a potential trilogy fight, which the Irishman wants to take place in May.