After a week filled with disturbing trash-talking and legitimate animosity between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, their trilogy fight ended in a way that was levels below the massive hype surrounding the booking. And because of that, it seems the major parties involved in putting together last night’s UFC 264 main event are keen on getting a more definitive result in a fourth, and maybe final, fight.
In this latest installment of the years-long rivalry between two of the best lightweights in the UFC, it was Poirier, 32, who had his hand raised inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was the official winner of the fight and handed McGregor, 32, a second straight defeat for the first time in his career.
However, the key participants in setting up this seismic booking–Poirier, McGregor, and UFC boss Dana White–all agreed that McGregor’s fractured tibia leading to a doctor’s stoppage was not the definitive end to the trilogy they hoped for. Although, “Diamond” does believe the Irishman was a victim of karma coming back to bite–or break–him.
Dustin Poirier open to fourth fight even ever win at UFC 264
You never want to get a win that way, Poirier told media members at the UFC 264 post-fight press conference. What happened was a result of checking a kick. I’m more than sure of it. He got what he had coming to him. Karma’s a mirror.
When I was walking away and he stayed down, I looked down at his shin and I saw it was disfigured a little bit. I was like, ‘Oh man.’ It’s just weird that it held together because I’m more than sure it happened when I checked a kick that it held together, and then probably when he pivoted on that bone, that’s when it probably separated. I don’t know, I’m not a doctor.”
Despite believing the injury to “Notorious” was no freak accident, and the result of a well-placed leg kick check early in the fight, the Louisiana native does not seem ready to move on from this rivalry despite having won two of three. In his mind, he still has some unfinished business after the derogatory comments McGregor hurled at Poirier and his wife last week.
https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1413344215430361090
We are going to fight again whether it’s in the octagon or on the sidewalk, said Poirier. You don’t say the stuff he said. My wife’s solid as a rock, I’m not worried about that. That’s noise. He was saying that he was going to kill me. You don’t say stuff like that. That he was going to murder me. You don’t say stuff like that.”
Conor McGregor: ‘This is not over’
Immediately after the fight, in an Octagon interview, the former two-division champion was resolute in saying that this feud was far from over, and a checked kick was not the cause for his gruesome injury.
I was boxing the bleeding head off of him. Kicking the bleeding leg off, McGregor told UFC announcer Joe Rogan after the fight. This is not over. If I have to take this outside with him, it’s on outside. I don’t give a bollocks.
“There was no check, he said when asked about the injury’s cause. There was not one of them checked. Just the thing had separated, I landed on the wonky leg like Anderson Silva, something similar to that. It’s a f*cking madhouse business.”
Dana White: ‘You can’t have a fight finish that way’
Following the event, UFC President Dana White was asked about the bout’s result and its lack of a clear and decisive finish. As the man in charge of it all, if he decides a fourth fight makes sense, then it will happen. The promotional boss made it clear that Poirier’s path forward is on to new division champion Charles Oliveira. However, he expects a fourth fight to go down once the MMA superstar has recovered from his injury.
“It sucks, it’s brutal, it’s not the way you want to see fights end,” White said at the UFC 264 post-fight press conference. “Dustin Poirier will fight for the title, [when] Conor’s healed and ready to go, you do the rematch I guess. I don’t know. Listen, the fight didn’t get finished. You can’t have a fight finish that way. We’ll see how this whole thing plays out. Who knows how long Conor’s out. Poirier will do his thing until Conor’s ready”
