"You're tuning in for a car wreck" - Dustin Poirier suggests Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje for Irishman's UFC return
![(L to R) Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, and Justin Gaethje [Images via @dustinpoirier, @thenotoriousmma, and @justin_gaethje on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/07/446c5-16576986481601-1920.jpg?w=500)
Dustin Poirier has suggested Justin Gaethje as an opponent for Conor McGregor's return fight. Playing matchmaker for the lightweight division, 'The Diamond' listed McGregor vs. Gaethje as the third fight in order of priority.
Poirier predicts that a matchup between 'Notorious' and 'The Highlight' is unlikely to go the distance. The Louisiana native recently spoke to Daniel Cormier on the DC & RC Show and said:
"Justin Gaethje vs. the return of Conor McGregor. The hype, the build up, somebody's going to sleep. I mean, you're tuning in for a car wreck. A head-on collision and I wanna see it."
Poirier's number one lightweight matchup was a title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. The second spot was taken by Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot, the surging Polish prospect who happens to be Poirier's teammate.
After Poirier mentioned McGregor vs. Gaethje, 'DC' joked about 'The Diamond' being well aware of the importance of mentioning 'Notorious'. However, the former title challenger insisted that he was merely suggesting lightweight matchups from an outsider's perspective.
McGregor has been out of action for a year now, rehabilitating from a broken leg he suffered in his trilogy fight with Poirier. 'The Diamond' has since made a failed title bid against former champion Oliveira.
Watch Poirier's appearance on the DC & RC Show below:
Dustin Poirier not interested in fourth outing against Conor McGregor
Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor clashed for the first time in a featherweight bout at UFC 178 in 2014, where 'The Notorious' won via first-round knockout. The two rematched seven years later as lightweights at UFC 257 last year, where 'The Diamond' trashed McGregor's lead leg en route to a second-round TKO win.
A trilogy fight was immediately set up for UFC 264, which reportedly recorded the second-highest pay-per-view sales in UFC history. However, Poirier is not interested in meeting McGregor for the fourth time.
According to 'The Diamond', his previous performances against the Irishman went from difficult to better. That said, Poirier noted that money is the one and only factor that could lure him into fighting 'The Notorious'. The 33-year-old perennial lightweight contender told reporters during the UFC 271 media scrum in February:
"I’m probably not going to fight Conor again. I don’t really want to fight Conor again. For me, that door is closed. The only reason I’d do it is for money. I beat him two times in a row. Can I best my two performances? Can I knock him out quicker? Can I 10-7 him? What can I do? I’ve done it. If I do it again, it’s just for money, right? So that’s a completely different thing.”
Watch Poirier's appearance at the UFC 271 media scrum below: