A “gutted” Conor McGregor spoke to Jon Anik after his first-ever knockout loss at the hands of Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.
On Saturday night at UFC 257, Conor McGregor was knocked out for the first time in his illustrious career. “The Notorious” dropped to a right hand from Dustin Poirier in the second of their headliner fight.
As he’s always been in defeat, McGregor took this one graciously. But he also believes that his yearlong inactivity may have played a role in his loss.
“It’s hard to overcome inactivity over long periods of time. And that’s just it,” McGregor told Jon Anik in the Octagon interview. “The leg kicks were good, the low calf kick was very good. The leg was dead, and then I just wasn’t as comfortable as I needed to be. It’s the inactivity, and that’s it.
“I need activity, guys. You don’t get away with being inactive in this business, and that’s the way it is. I’ll take me licks. I’m gutted, to be honest.”
Unlike 2020, McGregor wants to be more active this year.
“If you put in the time in here, you’re gonna get cozy in here,” he said. “I have to dust it off and come back, and that’s it. And that’s what I will do.
“It’s a tough one to swallow. I put in a lot of work, I’m proud of me work. I would’ve liked to represent my team a bit better, but we’ll get to go again.”
McGregor drops to a record of 22-5, as Poirier evens the score and improves his win-loss slate to 27-6 and 1 NC.