Conor McGregor ‘overlooked’ the challenge of Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 before suffering shock defeat as he was focused ‘on other things,’ claims Dana White… as the rivals …
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Dana White claims Conor McGregor was not fully focused in his shock UFC 257 loss to Dustin Poirier in January and hints that the Irishman may have underestimated his opponent.
McGregor made his return to MMA earlier this year following his surprise retirement last June but lost to Poirier via a second-round round knockout in Las Vegas.
As the pair prepare for a trilogy fight and UFC president White believes there is a reason why the iconic Irishman was so flat and unconvincing back in January.
White told BT Sport: ‘I don’t know if this is true. I mean, Conor McGregor is the only one who can answer this question. I think Conor was overlooking Dustin, and (had a mindset) like, “let me get through this, so I can work on other things.”‘
McGregor’s shock loss was the fifth of his career but the first to be done via a knockout as the Irishman’s return to the octagon was ruined by the ‘Diamond’.
The 32-year-old’s fall from grace in the world of UFC reached new depths this week after he toppled out of the pound-for-pound rankings.
But White believes the surprise loss to Poirier could be the perfect wake-up call he needs to become a hungry fighter again.
The UFC president told The Jim Rome Show earlier this month: ‘Conor’s ready to roll. Conor wants to fight again. He wants the rematch with Dustin Poirier, and he wants it as soon as possible. We’re working on it. Hopefully this summer.
‘I think the loss put him back into a really good place. It’s the classic “Rocky III” (story).
‘You’re pulling up to the fight in yachts and covered in Versace and you got all the money in the world, it’s hard to stay hungry.’
White also confirmed that Poirier’s deal for a trilogy fight was determined before the McGregor rematch earlier this year, with the Irishman coming out on top when the pair first met in UFC 178 back in 2014.
But McGregor’s American rival believes he will not take much analysis from the last two fights as he believes the third encounter will see both fighters change their game.
Poirier told Joe Rogan on his podcast last month: ‘It’s fighting man, I don’t think you ever really (have someone’s number). He’ll make adjustments.
‘It’ll be a completely different fight. Like the first one and the second one were different, the third one is going to be different as well.
‘I’m going to make adjustments as well. I’m going to switch it up, keep things fresh and keep him guessing.’
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