The fighter to erase most of Conor McGregor’s thriller this yr is a humble household man from Louisiana who makes his personal sizzling sauce, does intensive charity work and would like to compete in an empty health club.
Dustin Poirier is a eager option to turn into the arch enemy of a charismatic worldwide celebrity. Yet in two encounters over the previous six months, Poirier has damaged McGregor’s leg, bloody thrashing him and lowered the previous two-division UFC champion to a snarky, determined adversary who’s down on his sport. Refuses to simply accept the proof. slavery
Poirier defeated McGregor once more at UFC 264 on Saturday evening, incomes a TKO victory when McGregor was unable to begin the second spherical on his fractured shin.
Although he could not do a lot within the cage in opposition to Poirier, McGregor placed on a present afterward. A good-looking loser earlier in his combined martial arts profession, McGregor inexplicably claimed he was profitable the struggle – all three judges scored the one spherical for Poirier, two gave it to Poirier 10-8 – and Poirier earlier than that. and severely insulted each his spouse. Being taken from the cage.
“He got what he was coming for,” Poirier mentioned. “Karma is a mirror.”
Poirier claims he does not need to be a star, and the 32-year-old is weary of the energy-draining psychological sportsmanship of fueling light-weight fights — particularly when the bombastic McGregor is his rival.
While he acknowledged back-to-back bouts for his enormous monetary rewards, the exhausting toll from McGregor’s months of trash talks was evident in Poirier’s voice when he drove to his dwelling for Lafayette for some well-earned relaxation and quiet. Estimated journey.
“I still don’t like this (stuff), man,” Poirier mentioned Saturday evening. “I just scrap because I’m good at it and I love fighting, but all this other stuff, all that stuff… I just came here to fight.”
It’s by no means a struggle for McGregor, who has made a fortune from a person who’s proving to be extra sturdy than his fight enjoying talents. Amid his classless feedback about Poirier within the cage, McGregor made positive to plug his official post-fight afterparty on the Wynn Casino earlier than leaving for leg surgical procedure.
McGregor is 1-3 in MMA and 0-1 in boxing since late 2016. He turns 33 on Wednesday, and by the point his leg has healed, it will likely be half a decade since his final victory over a related opponent. He lives as much as the sports activities world’s recollections of his exceptional rise, but it seems to be like he’ll stay the UFC’s largest star till he retires.
To Poirier, the problem of filtering McGregor’s noise appears larger than the problem of defeating a power-punching Irishman who nonetheless lags far behind the world’s greatest fighters in practically each different MMA self-discipline besides self-promotion.
Poirier had little bother with McGregor in each encounters this yr, with McGregor comfortably passing all the pieces—each authorized and unlawful—as McGregor pulled his opponent into his up-kick on Saturday evening. Stick the fingers into the cuffs of Poirier’s gloves. .
Poirier mentioned, “I’m proud of the performance, but I’m proud to maintain the mindset when I’m getting into these fights, through all the madness, all the talk, all the noise around me.” “I don’t need it. I’m trying to be a light. I’m trying to help people. My goal is to feed my family, and with these hands I beat these people, I lift my city, lift the needy people.”
That toxicity was thick at T-Mobile Arena. A fanatical crowd who chanted “USA!” had chanted. His victory over each different American fighter on the UFC 264 card produced an emphatic boon for Poirier.
“It’s noisy,” mentioned Poirier with a shrug. “I don’t really think about that stuff anymore. Thanks for buying the ticket.”
But minutes later, Poirier mirrored on his victory over Dan Hooker in June 2020 in entrance of solely TV cameras and some dozen folks on the company premises of the UFC’s Apex Gym.
“I loved fighting at Apex when it was quieter,” Poirier mentioned.
McGregor will want months to get better his leg, giving him loads of time to recalibrate his thoughts for a return or retirement. Unfortunately, there’s additionally loads of time for McGregor’s imaginative and prescient to maneuver on if left unchecked by his household and buddies.
Hours after his loss, McGregor captioned an Instagram submit carrying himself on a stretcher with a quote from “Scarface.”
“You need people like me,” he wrote.
Poirier’s subsequent struggle shall be for the UFC Lightweight Title. He will meet Brazil’s Charles Oliveira, one other veteran fighter who’s more likely to rise to the highest of the division later this yr with years of laborious work.
But Poirier additionally believes he’ll finally grit his tooth and return to McGregor Maelstrom for one more well-paid chapter in his unlikely rivalry with the most important star within the sport.
“We’re going to fight again,” mentioned Poirier, “whether in the octagon or on the sidewalk.”
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
