The sorrow that accompanied falling to the prophetic Conor McGregor at UFC 178 certainly still lingers in the mind of sixth-ranked featherweight Dustin Poirier.
After a long war of words in the buildup for the fight, the fifth-ranked McGregor made good on his prediction and KO’d an emotional Poirier in just one minute, 46 seconds to move another step closer to challenging for the featherweight strap.
But in the five weeks since his setback to the silver-tongued Irishman, Poirier has shown that he possesses the rare resilience needed to bounce back from a devastating loss and return a stronger and wiser fighter.
On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour (per a report from MMAFighting.com), the 25-year-old Poirier talked about moving on from the pain that came with the loss to McGregor.
I don’t know if I’m ever going to be over it. It’s a loss on my record, and it hurt me, you know. I might say this often, but I didn’t cut any corners. I pushed myself harder than I ever have in the gym. I was very prepared to fight and perform well, it just didn’t go my way that night, man. And that’s what hurt. I didn’t get to show who I am. But you know, you live to fight another day and there’s lots more fights coming.
Poirier obviously holds a disdain for the 26-year-old Irishman, but in the time since their fight, the Louisiana native has rightfully given McGregor his due.
In the same vein, the ever-confident American Top Team stalwart insists that if given another chance, he’ll redeem himself and exact revenge on McGregor.
I never thought he was going to be an easy fight, or thought that he wasn’t good. I knew that he was a good fighter and he’s here for a reason, but I still think I can beat him. That night just wasn’t my night, and I didn’t get a chance to fight him. I got hurt early and he put me away quick, and it sucks because I really trained and was prepared to fight and beat him, and I still think I can. Of course I’ve moved past it. But at the same time, he’s still in this weight class with me and we’re both still young, and we’re probably going to fight again one day.
Poirier, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt who has yet to receive word on his next opponent, saw his three-fight winning streak snapped in his loss to McGregor.
Poirier holds an 8-3 record in the UFC with three submissions and two KOs. The Diamond submitted Pablo Garza (D’Arce choke), Max Holloway (mounted armbar) and Jonathan Brookins (D’Arce choke) before KO’ing Diego Brandao and Akira Corassani.
McGregor scored his 12th straight win by KO’ing Poirier. During that span, McGregor has won 10 times by form of KO and once by submission.
McGregor, who also earned his brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, will face the eighth-ranked Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night 59 on Jan. 18 at Boston’s TD Garden.
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