Dustin Poirier may never fully bury the hatchet with Conor McGregor.
McGregor returns from a five-year layoff to rematch Max Holloway in the UFC 329 headliner on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). He hasn’t competed since breaking his leg in a TKO loss to Poirier in July 2021. Prior to that, McGregor was knocked out by Poirier at UFC 257.
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McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) said he’s been sleeping at the gym in preparation for his comeback, which prompted Poirier to take a jab at him.
“Speaking of sleeping, Conor McGregor, I put you to sleep in Abu Dhabi, bud,” Poirier told UFC on Paramount+. “Sleepy Mac.”
Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) has opened up as a sizable favorite over McGregor. McGregor used his grappling to beat Holloway in their first fight in 2013 after blowing out his knee, but Poirier sees their rematch being a standup affair.
But if Holloway decides to point down to the mat in the final 10 seconds of the fight, would McGregor oblige?
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“If it does go all five and there’s a point down in the last 10 seconds, I don’t think Conor’s going to be in physical shape to throw down with Max like that because Max is still fast at the end of the fight, man,” Poirier said. “Bro, I don’t clinch people, especially in the last 10 seconds of my retirement fight. I was like, ‘Dude, I’m not getting slept or getting hurt in the last 10 seconds.’ I clinched. His hand speed is good.
“I was clinching, bro. I was clinching. I would have never thought leading up to that fight, the last 10 seconds of my career would be clinching and waiting for the bell. Lil Wayne is in the front row, and I’m clinching in front of Wayne. And it’s not for show. That point down and that 10 second thing, like Max is really cut from that cloth. He’s going to give you the opportunity if you can land a shot on him. He’s going to open up, throw crazy. It’s real.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dustin Poirier takes shot at Conor McGregor: ‘I put you to sleep’
