Dustin Poirier is coming off of a KO loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 178, where he was TKO’d in the first round.
Leading up to the bout, McGregor and Poirier were trading verbal blows back and forth, which Poirier says adds to the disappointment of the loss.
He spoke to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour to discuss why he believes he can still beat 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, but I accepted it and I am moving on and it’s just part of the journey.”
“Every time I lose it hurts, but this one really hurt. I was very prepared, I didn’t cut any corners and 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. That’s what hurt; I didn’t get to show who I am.”
“I don’t know, that’s hard to say. I care about this a lot, and I always fight and get into the ring and fight very emotionally. It’s more than just a fight to me every time I fight. I don’t think it got to me, man, I just think I got caught.”
“I still think I cant beat him. That night just wasn’t my night, and I didn’t get a chance to fight him. I got caught early and he put me away really quick,”
“It sucks because I was prepared to fight and beat him, and I still think I can.”
What do you think PENNation? Do you believe Poirier has what it takes to beat McGregor?