"I saw a man who was unsure" - Dustin Poirier sensed a nervous Conor McGregor in the lead up to UFC 264
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier’s trilogy fight took place at UFC 264 last month.
With seconds of the opening round remaining, McGregor suffered a gruesome broken leg that signaled the end of the main event bout. The fight’s official verdict was a first-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage) win for Poirier.
Having secured back-to-back stoppage wins over Conor McGregor this year, Poirier is expected to fight for the UFC lightweight title next. Riding high following his latest victory, Poirier recently appeared on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour.
Helwani suggested that 'The Diamond' thrived in the build-up to his third meeting with Conor McGregor. He also noted that it’s where everyone saw the “real” Poirier come out. The former interim lightweight champion seemingly agreed with this assessment and stated:
“Yeah, I felt in the zone. I felt comfortable. From the press conference to the weigh-in, all fight week. When I looked at this guy’s eyes, I just saw a man who was unsure. I really felt that, you know.
"And I’m the guy who says like staredowns and that type of stuff doesn’t really play a big thing in the fight. You can’t really see. You know, I’ve seen guys look timid at weigh-ins and be a monster the next day. And I’ve seen guys, you know, jumping around, talking trash, with a lot of energy at weigh-ins come out and fold. So, I don’t take a whole lot of that into the fight with me. But this time I really felt like I was looking at a man who was unsure.”
Catch Dustin Poirier's appearance on The MMA Hour below:
Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor continue pursuing MMA glory
Dustin Poirier is likely to face UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the title next. Although 'The Diamond' has consistently maintained that he’d like to fight for the belt next, he’s lately been involved in a war of words with Nate Diaz as well.
Whether Poirier’s next fight is for gold or is a grudge match against Diaz that’s been years in the making, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is currently recovering from his leg injury. ‘The Notorious’ star is expected to return in 2022 and has vowed to defeat Poirier in a fourth fight between the two.
The Irishman has also asserted that he aims to capture a UFC world title again when he makes his much-awaited comeback.