Conor McGregor is poised to fight Dustin Poirier in the Ultimate Fighting Championship 264 on July 10, 2021 in Vegas and I can’t wait to watch! UFC betting numbers could reach a new high during this matchup. The two men have faced off twice before with each winning one fight. Interestingly both men have won their respective matchups in two rounds or less. It will be interesting to see if they can last longer in this trilogy matchup.
McGregor is currently ranked 6th in the lightweight division while Poirier is 1st. There was talk of the two fighting up, McGregor could win his third belt title if he won that match, but the two are going to square off at 155 in the lightweight division. It turns out that McGregor was medically suspended for six months after his recent defeat to Poirier in January, 2021.
Despite that loss, McGregor beat Poirier when they first met in September, 2014. The finish came in under 2 minutes in the first round. For Poirier, it was his first UFC defeat via KO/TKO and McGregor’s second ‘Performance of the Night Award’.
Conor McGregor’s Aggressiveness
McGregor is considered an aggressive striker. Will he be able to beat Poirier again? There have been many rumors about him retiring. Well, who is Conor McGregor, and why the interest in this UFC matchup? McGregor is a 32-year-old Irish professional mixed martial arts/boxer who has won the featherweight and lightweight titles in the UFC. He is from Dublin and is only the second Irishman to fight for the UFC.
McGregor is quite the character and used to be known for his ‘trash-talk’, Muhammed Ali style. Until recently, he decided to change his ways, limiting the amount of trash talking and showing respect to opponents. However, the old Colin McGregor is back talking trash and engaging in the psychological warfare he was famous for in the early days of his UFC career.
Most recently, McGregor, or the “Notorious One” as he is called, promised to make Poirier “pay with his brain” while calling him an ‘inbred hillbilly.’
It seems that McGregor pissed off Poirier and he did it in style. McGregor had pledged to donate $500,000 to Poiriers’ charity, the ‘Good Fight Foundation’ before their last match in late 2020. Poiriers’ charity teaches underprivileged kids to play combat sports. That money was earmarked to help build a gym to advance that purpose.
But, despite promising that money, McGregor hadn’t yet made good on his pledge. So, Poirier called him out in a tweet, letting the MMA world know that Conor McGregor hadn’t come through with the money for the gym to help struggling kids.
The Last Laugh
The Notorious One was not at all pleased and did Poirier one better. After calling Poirier an inbred hillbilly, he sent the money to a charity in Poirier’s hometown of Acadiana, Louisiana but didn’t send it to the Good Fight Foundation. Rather, McGregor sent it to the Boys and Girls Club to support their summer camps. McGregor showed he knew how to be charitable, just not for Poirier’s cause.
This is just one of McGregor’s ‘I’ll show you’ antics. The Notorious One recently bought the Marble Arch pub in Dublin, the scene of his infamous sucker punch. Apparently, the man who McGregor punched said “No” to a shot of McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve Whiskey and McGregor decked him. Colin McGregor was convicted of assault and fined $1000.00.
But, McGregor got the last laugh.
After buying the Marble Arch Pub he tweeted that the journalist who wrote the piece about the sucker punch and the victim who pressed charges would both be forever excluded from the premises.
“Ye and your mans barred.”
While the Notorious One can pack a punch in the ring and on the streets, he’s also packing a punch when it comes to business. He’s loaded. McGregor has recently sold off his majority share of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey to Proximo Spirits, owner of Jose Cuervo, in a deal for somewhere around $600 million dollars.
Although no longer the majority owners, McGregor, and his partners continue to retain an interest in the brand and promote the company. They just had the sense to cash in.
It seems that Proper No. Twelve Whiskey is on fire and the anticipated Trilogy fight between McGregor and Poirier is fanning the flames of success for the Irish Whiskey.
So, Is Conor McGregor the Baddest Fighter in the Game?
McGregor’s a big personality. He’s volatile. He’s sharp. He’s the Notorious One but not only for his prowess in the ring. He’s been arrested at least 18 times. He’s been accused of some serious wrong-doing too, although the most serious allegations have all been dropped or settled out of court.
I’m looking forward to the Trilogy Match against Poirier in July. There is some bad blood between them. Let’s see what kind of punch McGregor packs back in the ring. Will either man be able to last more than 2 rounds? I’m not sure I should but I find myself rooting for the Notorious One!
By: Asa Agnoli
Asa writes sports content for Knup Solutions and is a Sr. at the University of Miami.
