When Conor McGregor explained why he calls Dustin Poirier a 'pea head'
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are rapidly approaching their much anticipated trilogy fight, which takes place at UFC 264 on July 10.
Both men hold one win apiece and will no doubt be aiming to see themselves come out on top in this lightweight rubber match.
Whilst the buildup to McGregor and Poirier's rematch was relatively respectful and peaceful, that was not the case for the original fight.
There was legitimate animosity between the two men, with Poirier continuously getting riled up by Conor McGregor's constant taunting.
The origin of Conor McGregor's 'pea head' insult
Conor McGregor repeatedly referred to Poirier as a 'pea head' before their first meeting, which not only irrated but also baffled Poirier, as can be seen in an interview where he states-
"You know I can't even tell you the first time him calling me out. I think he called me pea head or something, which doesn't even make sense to me. I don't even know what that is."
Conor McGregor later revealed that the nickname came to fruition due to the size of Poirier's head, which McGregor believes is abnormally small. The Irishman stated the following-
"A pea head is like a, you know, a pea that you eat. It's like a small little green pea. He just has an unusually small head I believe. With a weird little goatee. So that's what that is."
McGregor vs. Poirier I & II
The first fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier took place in 2014.
Both men were competing in the featherweight division at the time, with Poirier an established contender and McGregor a rising star. The two instantly took a dislike to each other and were very vocal about it in their pre-fight meetings..
When the fight came about, McGregor lived up to his hype in every way, knocking Poirier out in the first round. From there McGregor went on to become featherweight and lightweight champion. However, he later took a hiatus from the sport to compete against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match.
Since then McGregor would only compete sporadically in MMA, fighting twice in the years between 2017 and 2021.
In comparison, Poirier competed three times in 2017 alone. He moved up to lightweight and amassed multiple victories over high-level opposition such as Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez.
Their rematch took place in January earlier this year. Both men treated each other with significantly more respect this time round, much to the disappointment of many old-school McGregor fans.
However, when the two men got in the octagon together, it quickly became apparent who was at home there.
Poirier used brutal low kicks, a meta in MMA that had been established during Conor McGregor's time out, to limit the Irishman's movement. He then closed in and finished the fight with strikes.