Heading into UFC 257, Dustin Poirier is an underdog in the rematch against Conor McGregor. He says that this should not be the case, but he is excited to show his maturity in what he feels is the biggest fight in combat sports right now.
When Poirier faced McGregor for the first time in 2014, both men were very different fighters. The bout took place as featherweight, and Conor was in the midst of his meteoric rise, so he was talking all kinds of trash.
While Conor would go on to win that fight, both men have grown and matured, both in skillset and in life. Now they meet again, and have a ton of respect for one another that was missing from their first fight.
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Dustin Poirier Is Used To Being The Underdog
Heading into UFC 257, Dustin Poirier is a betting underdog, which is expected given the result of their first fight. However this position is nothing new to the Diamond, even if he disagrees.
Speaking in a recent interview, Dustin explained that he does not feel like he should be considered the underdog. That being said, he has been an underdog his whole life, so he will not let that stop him now.
“I’ve been the underdog in so many fights and got my hand raised. I’ve been the underdog my whole life. I’m comfortable in this position, and no I do not think I should be (the underdog),” Poirier said.
“I’ve been putting in the work. I’ve been beating the best guys in the world. I’ve been in these battles and getting my hand raised. I always find a way.”
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Reflecting On The First Fight
As previously stated, a lot has changed for both Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor, since when they first fought. With that in mind, it was still easy for Dustin to point to the biggest difference in these two fights.
“I felt like I was too emotional in there (during the first fight),” Poirier said. “I let anger blind me, I let my emotions get the best of me, and that’s why (I lost).
“It’s just maturity. It’s understanding that all that is noise and it doesn’t effect what I have control over. What I do have control over is my commitment to the game, my conditioning, my focus, my work.
“If I keep all those things in order, everything else is just noise.”
There is no denying that this UFC 257 main event is one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year. However to Dustin Poirier, this is the biggest fight in all of combat sports right now, and everything is on the line for him.
“It’s the biggest fight in combat sports, to me personally, besides a title fight,” he said. “The reason I fight is to be the undisputed world champion, to be the best in the world, and I know the winner of this fight is fighting for the belt.
“This is a contender fight. It’s a contender fight against the biggest opponent you can be standing across the Octagon from, so this fight is very important for me and my career.”
Dustin Poirier will have the chance to prove himself against Conor McGregor this weekend, at UFC 257. It will be exciting to see how he will do in what is easily the biggest fight of his career.
