UFC News: Conor McGregor's old rival expresses desire to have a big rematch
Conor McGregor may be a shadow of his former self these days, but The Notorious One was truly special in his prime.
McGregor has victories against world-class fighters such as Max Holloway, Eddie Alvarez, Jose Aldo and Dustin Poirier.
Out of the aforementioned names, Poirier has come out and expressed his desire to get inside the Octagon again with the Irishman.
While speaking to MMAFighting, The Diamond explained why a rematch against McGregor makes the most sense at this juncture,
He stated that he faced McGregor quite early on his career and times have changed since then. Poirier has gone on to become an interim Champion, while McGregor charted out to create history by becoming a double champion.
Poirier also cited the current rankings as further proof as to why the UFC should consider booking him against McGregor.
“I think it would make more sense if he’s trying to get back to the top. I was the former interim world champion. Conor’s the former undisputed world champion. We fought years ago, we both had our separate paths and we’ve both done great things. I think this makes a lot of sense. I’m No. 2, I think he’s No. 3. It makes a lot of sense. I think the fans want to see it as well but time will tell. I definitely want that fight, and it’s something I want to do.”
Poirier is currently out of action after undergoing a hip surgery, and he is expected to return to the Octagon somewhere around March or April next year.
The popular UFC Lightweight stated that he is only interested in fights against established talents such as Nate Diaz, McGregor, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Poirier is coming off a loss against the Dagestani Grappler (Khabib), and he may have to cement himself again as a top contender in the stacked division with a few more wins before he gets another shot at becoming an undisputed Champion.
A win against McGregor would certainly put him back in contention for a title shot. However, Conor is rumored to take on Donald Cerrone in the first half of 2020.
Poirier even commented on the possible Cerrone vs. McGregor fight while also revealing his stand about possibly facing Cowboy in the future.
"I respect “Cowboy” and everything he’s done but I do think he’s on the back end of his career. It’s “Cowboy,” he can show up and submit or knock out Conor as well. I’m not counting the guy completely out but I do think that is a more favorable fight for him on his return. “Fight a guy who’s been KO’d or TKO’d twice in his past two fights. I’m not a matchmaker. I think me and [Conor] makes more sense.” H/t Credit: MMAFighting