Dustin Poirier doesn’t know when or where a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor could potentially materialize after winning their rematch at UFC 257.
In the aftermath of his second-round TKO of McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi in January, Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) said he hasn’t been contacted by anyone from the UFC or McGregor’s team about a third encounter with “The Notorious.”
Publicly, McGregor’s head coach, John Kavanagh of SBG Ireland, has pushed for a trilogy fight to take place perhaps as soon as May or June. That’s not all that far off, and if that’s indeed what McGregor is angling for, Poirier said there’s been no movement behind the scenes.
“I don’t know what they’re saying behind closed doors,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “I haven’t been reached out yet by the UFC or by Conor’s management about the trilogy fight. So I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I haven’t been reached out to the UFC about anything.”
After losing the first fight to McGregor by first-round TKO at UFC 178 in September 2014, Poirier put on a stellar performance in the rematch. He used vicious leg kicks to immobilize McGregor, then finished the job with head strikes in the second round, becoming the first to knock out his Irish foe in MMA competition.
Poirier said he knew his kicks would be effective, and he’s pleased with his performance.
“I know the leg kicks definitely compromised his movement,” Poirier said. “I’ve had my legs torn up by Jim Miller, and I know the pain and what happens to your foot. It stops working with, it stops listening to your commands when you want to spring back and push forward. Things just are moving differently, and on top of that the pain is just so, so bad. That’s one of the worst pains I’ve ever had in fights, whenever my calf got kicked over and over and over again. I think that stopped his mobility, but ultimately hands got the job done.”
Poirier said he felt confident going into the bout with McGregor that he could win by knockout, submission or decision. That presumably wouldn’t change going into a trilogy, but there’s a good chance both sides would make tactical adjustments to the point it’d once again create a different looking fight.
One thing that won’t change going into a potential third clash with McGregor, though, is Poirier’s mindset. He openly admits McGregor’s antics got into his head years back ahead of their first meeting, but he shook all that off for the rematch and was a vault that couldn’t be penetrated.
Poirier said post-fight that he didn’t feel the same “aura” from McGregor in the rematch as the first time, and he doesn’t expect that to change should they ever share the octagon again.
“I don’t think it’s something that he didn’t have coming into this fight, I just think its something that I didn’t put energy into and didn’t recognize like I did the first time,” Poirier said. “These guys are men just like me, and I promise you they all bleed. That’s just my mindset. It’s not a knock on Conor or putting Conor down in any way, that’s just the way I feel about fighting and about these opponents of mine.”
To hear the full interview with Poirier, check out the video below.
Dustin Poirier says there’s been no movement on a Conor McGregor trilogy bout