'I'm gonna bust him up' - Conor McGregor won't pull any punches against Dustin Poirier
Conor McGregor has suggested that he will spare no effort in his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. The 32-year-old UFC lightweight stated that his respect for Poirier would not hold him back from hurting 'The Diamond'.
McGregor first fought Poirier in 2014 and secured a stunning first-round win via TKO. He will face him in a rematch on January 23 at UFC 257.
In a recent interview with BT Sport, Conor McGregor has said that even though he admires Poirier for how he handled his previous loss, he will not be lenient with his opponent.
"There is respect for sure (between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier). How can you not respect (after) how he (Dustin Poirier) handled that loss, where he has gone in his life; a lot of admiration for the man. I am gonna bust him up but. There's no doubts about it. There's no ifs, ands, and buts, he is getting bust up. But, it's nothing but respect," said Conor McGregor.
Ahead of the fight, Conor McGregor predicted that he will knockout Poirier inside 60 seconds of the fight, but he wouldn't mind "going to war" with him either. Poirier, a former UFC interim lightweight champion, had earlier said that he wants him and McGregor to "drop blood" in their fight.
Conor McGregor wanted to fight Dustin Poirier without fans in the arena
Conor McGregor further added that he wanted to fight Dustin Poirier in an empty arena because he was excited to hear the sound of his shots.
"I was actually excited maybe get in without the fans. I wanted my power translate with no fans, you know, the sound of it. The unique sound of four-ounce gloves clattering up the soft part of the face, especially my shots. So, I was very eager to get in there and see that, but there is only a couple of thousand (fans), it would still translate most certainly, so I am excited to hear the sounds of it," said McGregor.
2,000 fans will be allowed to catch the action live at UFC 257 from the Etihad Arena. Interestingly, all the tickets were sold out in minutes after being made available online for the fans to purchase them.