Dustin Poirier after UFC 264 press conference: Conor McGregor has to work himself up to be that guy, and I am that guy
Dustin Poirier was unfazed by Conor McGregor’s antics at the UFC 264 press conference.
Unlike the lead-up to their rematch at UFC 257, McGregor resembled his old self Thursday when he talked trash, took jabs and attempted to taunt Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) ahead of their rubber match, which serves as the headliner Saturday.
But “The Diamond” says he’s a more mature man from their first meeting, which he lost in 2014, and sees right through what McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) was trying to do.
“For me, smooth sailing, man,” Poirier told ESPN on how the press conference went. “I felt like I saw a guy who was unsure of himself, scared, trying to hype himself up. I felt good. … I feel like he has to work himself up to be that guy, and I am that guy. I don’t have to do that. I know if he would have gotten close enough, he would have seen it – and that’s just it. I know who I am. I don’t have to be crazy.
“I knew he was going to be acting crazy. But to see him in the flesh, it just made me feel good because he has that little guy, not that guy he used to be, I feel – through my eyes, anyway.”
McGregor attempted to make things personal by bringing up Poirier’s wife, and even leaked a personal message she allegedly sent him, which appeared blank. While the old Poirier likely would have gotten riled up, the battle-tested veteran brushed it off and threw a zinger back, himself.
“That made him less powerful because he’s talking silly stuff about my wife,” Poirier said. “She’s ‘my husband’ or something. Like, what the f*ck are you even talking about? He shouldn’t even be talking about marriages with the sh*t he’s out there doing, so …”
Things continued to intensify at the faceoff when McGregor poked his leg out, attempting to kick Poirier. According to Poirier, it was UFC president Dana White who was on the receiving end.
“Dana said he got kneed in the stomach – the shot hit him,” Poirier said. “That’s cute, man. Have fun. I’m going to be doing the real kicking on Saturday night.”
McGregor claimed his second-round TKO loss to Poirier at UFC 257 was a “fluke,” but Poirier thinks McGregor’s refusal to admit defeat will be his biggest downfall heading into the trilogy.
“He’s doing himself a disservice by not reassessing everything and figuring out what really went wrong,” Poirier said. “That’s what losers do – they scramble to find something to stand on, and that’s what he’s doing. But it doesn’t matter. I got my hand raised. It’s a fight.”
