Former dual weight UFC champion Conor McGregor has released a statement on social media following his second-round TKO loss against Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier.
McGregor was hoping to propel himself back into lightweight title contention in a highly anticipated rematch against Poirier at UFC 257.
‘Notorious’ previously wiped-out Poirier inside one round when the pair clashed at UFC 178 six years ago. Unfortunately for the Irishman the tables turned in Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning (local time).
Poirier used his wrestling skills to negate the early power threat of McGregor before going to work with calf kicks. Those strikes changed the fight and had ‘Notorious’ in all kinds of trouble by round two. Poirier ultimately secured the win with a flurry of strikes against the fence which dropped McGregor who ate a couple more strikes on the floor before Herb Dean mercifully waved off the fight.
In his post-fight interview, McGregor blamed the defeat on inactivity but was sure to give Poirier his props. The pair later spoke backstage and a potential trilogy bout was mentioned.
After the dust settled, McGregor took to social media and appeared to be optimistic about his fighting future.
“Thanks for the support everyone! Was not my night/morning in there but a great contest to improve on,” McGregor wrote. “I’m excited at the blockbuster trilogy I now have on my hands. Dustin is a hell of a competitor and I look forward to going again. God bless us all, happy Sunday.”
Thanks for the support everyone! Was not my night/morning in there but a great contest to improve on. I’m excited at the blockbuster trilogy I now have on my hands. Dustin is a hell of a competitor and I look forward to going again. God bless us all, happy Sunday
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 24, 2021
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