Former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has claimed himself and Conor McGregor almost ran into each other during a media event in Las Vegas earlier this month — revealing he likely would have traded hands with the Dubliner if they crossed paths amid their storied rivalry.
Poirier, a former interim lightweight champion and three-fight rival of McGregor, holds a 2-1 record against the striker — taking home a first round doctor’s stoppage TKO win over the latter at UFC 264 three years ago, after McGregor fractured his tibia and fibula in the opening frame.
And sidelined since he took headlining status at UFC 302 back in June, Lafayette veteran, Poirier forced undisputed lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev to the fifth round in their title fight, ultimately dropping a D’Arce choke submission loss to the pound-for-pound number one.
Dustin Poirier reveals near run-in with Conor McGregor in Las Vegas
Hoping to land one — if not two more fights inside the Octagon before calling time on his storied career, Poirier claimed he almost returned to action sooner than expected earlier this month in ‘Sin City’ — with his agent ushering him away from a potential run-in with McGregor during a media event.
“My agent was walking behind me and he grabs,” Dustin Poirier told Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned during a recent interview. “Conor (McGregor) might’ve seen the back of my head, I don’t know. I didn’t see him. My agent grabbed my shoulders and said, ‘This way to the right, to the right.’ And once we got clear of everybody he was like, ‘Dude, we almost had a big problem.’ And that’s what that was.”
We just have such a long history, he said some foul things,” Dustin Poirier explained. You ever watched Family Guy? You know when Peter and the chicken run into each other? They go on this crazy fight, they’re falling down hills, they’re fighting for an hour. That’s what would have happened. Yeah, for sure. If we would’ve made eye contact, if our eyes had met, it would have been bad, probably.”