Las Vegas, NV — If Dustin Poirier was agitated by Conor McGregor’s antics at Thursday’s UFC 264 pre-fight press conference, he didn’t let it show.
And despite the addition of a partisan crowd firmly in McGregor’s corner for their rubber match, the challenge has not changed for Dustin “Diamond” Poirier.
“Not anymore,” Poirier replied. “For me, the aura’s not there anymore. Very dangerous fighter sitting right there for sure. But I see a man. You guys in the crowd, cheer it up, have fun. But I see a man that I’ve defeated, and know that I can defeat again.”
The third fight in the pair’s trilogy, currently sitting a one win apiece, is something that Poirier has been focused on since he evened the score in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. He went as far as to call for the third fight immediately after that January win.
“I knew this was next. As soon as I got to my hotel room that night, I knew this was next,” Poirier admitted Thursday. “I’ve kind of been preparing for this fight since that fight ended.”
Throughout Thursday’s back-and-forth with McGregor, who was much quicker to the draw when it came to trash-talking, Poirier insisted the fight was “just business.”
“Straight business, man,” Poirier stated, adding that McGregor’s trash talk used to be better. “F*cking weak” is how the Louisiana native labelled it.
Poirier insisted that he saw just a man sitting opposite him. Once again, it was still just business. “I see a corpse. I see a dead body,” retorted McGregor.
These days, Dustin Poirier is more than just another contender in the UFC. Rather, he’s a big deal himself — so how does he avoid falling into the trap of believing in his own hype? It’s simple, Poirier told Cageside Press on Thursday.
“I’ve never really had that hype pushed. I know who I am. I’m the same guy. It’s easy to be me, man.”
UFC 264 takes place this Saturday, July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card airs live on PPV.
