Conor McGregor NEEDS trilogy bout more than Dustin Poirier

Conor McGregor NEEDS a Dustin Poirier decider more than his foe, despite his Twitter spat where he called the fight off. And after calling the Diamond a ‘f***ing brain dead hillbilly’, the fury that made him a double champion is BACK!

  • Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are now embroiled in a bitter feud
  • The American outed McGregor for his failure to donate $500k as promised 
  • McGregor, 32, responded furiously and confirmed that their 10 July fight is off
  • The duo shared a positive relationship but the goodwill has been set ablaze 
  • The Irishman needs the trilogy bout if he wishes to pursue the lightweight title 

In just seven tweets the goodwill that had endured between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier has been doused with fuel and set ablaze. 

Controversy creates cash. And, ironically, this controversy was all about the cash that never came. 

$500,000 was pledged by McGregor to Poirier’s Good Fight Foundation before their meeting at UFC 257 last January. After months of waiting and no sign of the money, the American decided to make his grumblings public knowledge.

The goodwill between Conor McGregor (left) and Dustin Poirier (right) has gone after a spat

McGregor reacted furiously after Poirier said he had not donated $500,000 as promised

The Irishman hit back, insisting that his team undertake their ‘due diligence’ to know what his donation will be put towards ‘dot to dot’ in a bid to explain the $500,000 no-show.

Eleven hours later, McGregor hit the nuclear button. 

‘You’re ripped you inbred hillbilly. Why do you wink with your ears? You f***ing brain dead hillbilly. 500k with no plan in place. Ye hang tight. Fool. You must be new to money,’ he tweeted. 

‘The fight is off btw. I’m going to fight someone else on the 10th. Good luck on your old contract kid.’

McGregor labelled Poirier a ‘brain dead hillbilly’ and said that there trilogy bout is off

Poirier swiftly replied to McGregor’s tirade with a clip of him knocking the Irishman out 

This is certainly the most fired up that McGregor has been since his toxic rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. Cooler heads should prevail in the coming days and there are currently no genuine concerns that the fight is off, but McGregor’s Twitter tirade has hinted at a rediscovering of the fire that took him to UFC glory.  

The 32-year-old was full of pleasantries for Donald Cerrone before he knocked the UFC veteran out in under a minute in January 2020. A warm embrace with Cowboy’s grandmother was a peculiar sight for a man who had so freely launched insults towards Nurmagomedov’s friends and family.

The same mellow McGregor arrived on Fight Island for his rematch with Poirier. Surrounded by his family on a stunning yacht during fight week, the Irishman’s respect for his lightweight rival was attributed to a maturity far removed from the days where he stormed through the featherweight ranks. 

Following his second round TKO defeat to Poirier, McGregor’s lack of intensity in the build up was noted as a factor for his shortcomings at UFC 257.

McGregor’s tirade is far-removed from the placid, mature figure on show in recent fights

The Irishman was full of platitudes for American rival Poirier before their fight on Fight Island

He was also respectful to Donald Cerrone, hugging Cowboy’s grandmother after their fight

‘The build up (to a fight), I truly believe that some people need that edge,’ UFC legend Daniel Cormier told ESPN. ‘Do I think he needs to go as far as he went with the Khabib (Nurmagomedov) fight? No, that was too far. But I think some of those guys need that edge a little bit. 

‘And I think for McGregor, he’s showing a maturity about it that he may not have had before, but I think that some of these guys need that edge. 

‘Does Conor have the motivation to go back and become the guy that competed at the level that he did all those times? Like, seeing a young man mature is not a bad thing, let’s not make it seem that way, but this is a sport where a lot of times, the bandits win. 

‘You know, sometimes, the bad guy wins in Mixed Martial Arts… Dustin Poirier is a good guy. And he’s one of the good guys that win. But I think for certain guys, man, you’ve got to have that edge. They just need it.’ 

But pundits like Daniel Cormier (left) argue that McGregor needs an ‘edge’ to fight at top level

McGregor was at his combative best before fights against Jose Aldo, Dennis Siver and Khabib

Poirier’s decision to air his grievances with McGregor may just have helped the Irishman rediscover the edge that took him to double championship glory.  

McGregor used ‘steroid head’ Dennis Siver’s doping misdemeanours as motivation before their clash in 2015. He steamrolled the German to win via second round knockout.

He transformed the disappointment of Jose Aldo’s withdrawal from their title bout in July 2015 into extra incentive to first beat Chad Mendes then to finally get his hands on the Brazilian’s belt, defeating the all-conquering champion in just 13 seconds. 

This $500,000 feud with Poirier could serve as the catalyst to get McGregor back to winning ways inside the octagon and catapult him into the lightweight title reckoning. 

His latest spat with Poirier has lit a fire, but is the 10 July trilogy bout actually cancelled?

That is, of course, if the pair actually meet on July 10. 

McGregor says the fight is off, and he will most certainly have a long line of fighters looking to step in to face him at UFC 264. So too is he unlikely to be impacted financially if he faces a different fighter, such is his popularity.  

But the hard reality is if McGregor is to be stood inside the octagon on July 10, the man standing opposite him has to be Dustin Poirier. 

Over the course of his UFC career, McGregor has sought to ensure the narrative is in his favour. 

The Irishman immediately rematched Nate Diaz following his shock defeat back in 2016 so as to right the wrong that had derailed his tilt at the lightweight title. After his defeat to Nurmagomedov, McGregor maintained that he had ‘won the war’ in the post-fight brawl that marred the Dagestani’s victory. 

Financially, Poirier needs the fight more. But McGregor has a reputation to repair after his loss

Moreover, the Irishman’s bid to win the lightweight title looks tricky without beating Poirier

McGregor is now tied at 1-1 with Poirier, having defeated him in 2014. Given the nature of his defeat at UFC 257, the Irishman’s pride will surely drive him towards a third bout to settle the series. 

Moreover, it is difficult to plot his path to the lightweight title if he has not avenged his defeat to The Diamond.  

He could pursue clashes with Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson or Islam Makhachev, all of which would catch the public’s attention, all of which would garner over one million pay-per-view buys. 

Yet without avenging that defeat to Poirier, his credibility as a champion will be overcast by the shadow of the pummelling he received on Fight Island. 

As it stands, Poirier is next in line for a shot at the the lightweight title vacated by Khabib

For Poirier, he will be hit hardest financially if the fight fails to materialise, but make no mistake, the Louisianan’s standing as the next in line for the lightweight title will not be harmed in the slightest. 

His monumental victory in January has cemented his position as the man to beat at lightweight. Poirier’s decision to pursue the money fight with McGregor – described as ‘smart’ by UFC chief Dana White – has paved the way for Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler to fight for Nurmagomedov’s vacated title.  

A cancelled trilogy bout with McGregor will mean that Poirier will simply wait his turn to take on the winner of the UFC 262 main event, given that he has the strongest claim for a shot at the title. 

As it stands, you would predict that cooler heads ought to prevail. Poirier outing McGregor over his failure to cough up will surely have embarrassed the Irishman, but the 10 July bout is as important for Poirier financially as it is for McGregor’s reputation. 

Cooler heads should prevail in what will be a bitter trilogy bout at UFC 264 this summer




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