GDT: UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3

[Chaels Arms]

Fighting McGregor again would probably once again give Poirier his biggest payday ever to fight someone he is clearly better than. It's a win on every front. The mind games and stuff don't work with Poirier, I don't think he gives a **** what Conor posts or says so that fight would be a walk in the park for him. He absolutely should do it if given the opportunity. I don't believe McGregor wants any part of Poirier in the Octagon anymore though.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

If you really want to see Conor get hurt, feed him to Gaethje.

 

[Incognito]

If you really want to see Conor get hurt, feed him to Gaethje.

If McGregor has any value for his remaining good leg, he'll avoid a fight with Gaethje like the plague.

 

[pistolpete11]

McGregor could have easily used a picture of Poirier that didn't have his daughter in it though. The fact that his kid was included was no accident. It just goes to show how big a piece of shit Conor really is.

For sure.

But there is still a big difference between saying that with a picture of Poirier and his daughter and a picture of only his daughter. I just thought the post I quoted was a little misleading.

 

[Incognito]

For sure.

But there is still a big difference between saying that with a picture of Poirier and his daughter and a picture of only his daughter. I just thought the post I quoted was a little misleading.

That's fair. I agree with that.

 

[Canes]

If McGregor has any value for his remaining good leg, he'll avoid a fight with Gaethje like the plague.

He and both Dana know that which is why it's never going to happen. They'll give him a joke of a fight like they did with geriatric Cerrone, he'll win easily then they'll hype it for Poirier 4/Diaz 3.

 

[member 51464]

If Poirier is not able to get it done against Oliveira, I almost don't mind a world where Conor is fed a can and then gets destroyed by Do Bronx, lol. Just having new top fighters embarrass the guy would be interesting in its own way.

Though I suppose Conor losing to the can would be fine too, haha.

By the way, has anyone read the prognosis from surgery and what the injury was determined to be? How long is he out for/when could he realistically fight again?

 

[pistolpete11]

By the way, has anyone read the prognosis from surgery and what the injury was determined to be? How long is he out for/when could he realistically fight again?

He broke his lower tibia and fibula.

There was an Athletic article about it when Weidman broke his leg. Weidman's goal was to return to training within 6 months. One of the article contributors said that was very ambitious and it would be closer to a year before he could train and probably 2 before he is fully back to his maximum athleticism.

The article also gave 2 examples. Anderson and some guy who was on TUF. Both took their next fight a little over a year later. The guy from TUF said he still had lingering nerve damage that made his foot feel like a "fist of toes". Anderson was obviously never the same, but that's probably as much to do with age as the injury.

I think Conor's next fight is really important for how people will think about him as a fighter. If he loses to somebody else, I think it's probably the Nate trilogy and retirement. If he beats somebody, he's probably going to fight for a title and go from there. So I expect him to take his time with his recovery and be willing to wait for the perfect opponent. If things go well I'd guess end of 2022. Probably not before July 2022.

 

[CDJ]

Conor-RDA in September of 2022 is my prediction

 

[SuperScript29]

I think the UFC needs to step in when you have situations like this. It's one thing if you're doing a fight promotion and trash talking your opponent directly to hype the fight, but a completely different matter to get their family involved and worst of all, add death threats to the picture.

If I'm in Dustin's shoes, I'm done with Connor. There's really no need for a third fight, he got his two pay days and now he can fight for the belt and take on real contenders rather than this clown show.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Conor just needs to retire at this point. The sport has passed him by while he was focused on other things and there is nothing wrong with that. He showed so much class after the last fight and now is trending towards a has been cry baby.

I don’t ever see him competing for a belt again in any weight division so why bother as he certainly doesn’t need the money.

this all started with Conor and Dustin talking about a charity event and then Conor wanting Dustin to get a pay day, because he seemed to respect him at the time but Conor was not supposed to lose, and then lose again.

he could do Diaz or Jorge and that would be fun. He should not come beck to fight anyone in the top 5 at LW. Just not fair at this point

 

[jcs0218]

I think the UFC needs to step in when you have situations like this. It's one thing if you're doing a fight promotion and trash talking your opponent directly to hype the fight, but a completely different matter to get their family involved and worst of all, add death threats to the picture.

If I'm in Dustin's shoes, I'm done with Connor. There's really no need for a third fight, he got his two pay days and now he can fight for the belt and take on real contenders rather than this clown show.

UFC isn't going to step in and do anything to McGregor.

Most sports leagues would suspend and/or terminate an athlete's contract after the whole world saw that athlete on camera punch an elderly man in a bar.

Dana White is a greedy scumbag though, so he isn't going to do anything to his #1 meal-ticket and biggest box-office attraction.

If UFC was around in the 1980s and was the way it is now, then Dana White would have paid Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy both million-dollar contracts to have a prison cage fight, if Dana White thought he could make money from it.

I don't think his moral standards are too high.

 

[CharaBadSenyshynGawd]

A plethora of casual, “only watch the big fights” fans in here. I see it’s becoming “cool” to hate McGregor to feel moral superiority.

If he wants to fight again he is a top 3-5 guy in this division and can compete with them all.

I’m not even a huge Conor fan but respect the sport enough to not talk about it if you’re just gonna regurgitate Stephen a smith takes. To say he can’t compete in the top 10 or “would have lost anyway” is just showing blatant lack of knowledge and respect for the sport

 

[CDJ]

A plethora of casual, “only watch the big fights” fans in here. I see it’s becoming “cool” to hate McGregor to feel moral superiority.

If he wants to fight again he is a top 3-5 guy in this division and can compete with them all.

I’m not even a huge Conor fan but respect the sport enough to not talk about it if you’re just gonna regurgitate Stephen a smith takes. To say he can’t compete in the top 10 or “would have lost anyway” is just showing blatant lack of knowledge and respect for the sport

I think people hate on him because he’s a dickhead. Unless you’re saying hating on assholes is always a “moral superiority” situation. In which case I’d say that’s ridiculous

Most of the people I see posting about him I see in here more often than you fwiw. I do not think he can beat most of the top 10. I mean the #9 guy who is main eventing this weekend probably smashes the shit out of him. He’s not the same guy. I do not miss a card. So now what? Am I a casual because I don’t fanboy a clown who hasn’t beat a non-geriatric since the Obama administration? He hasn’t shown a whole lot lately. I get the competition is tough but other people in the top 10 have looked A LOT better against Poirier in recent years than Conor has. When Conor comes back he’s returning from a significant leg injury on top of all that

 

[m9]

I think people hate on him because he’s a dickhead. Unless you’re saying hating on assholes is always a “moral superiority” situation. In which case I’d say that’s ridiculous

Most of the people I see posting about him I see in here more often than you fwiw. I do not think he can beat most of the top 10. I mean the #9 guy who is main eventing this weekend probably smashes the shit out of him. He’s not the same guy. I do not miss a card. So now what? Am I a casual because I don’t fanboy a clown who hasn’t beat a non-geriatric since the Obama administration? He hasn’t shown a whole lot lately. I get the competition is tough but other people in the top 10 have looked A LOT better against Poirier in recent years than Conor has

The #9 guy you are referencing probably smashes most of the division but just Conor.. but I know you know that.

Which is kind of the whole point - people think the bar for Conor is being the top guy in the division but there are plenty of fighters who may not be the champ but are competitive, ranked fighters. That's where Conor is right now. If he doesn't want that, it will be his choice but if he wants to fight then why shouldn't he?

 

[CDJ]

The #9 guy you are referencing probably smashes most of the division but just Conor.. but I know you know that.

Which is kind of the whole point - people think the bar for Conor is being the top guy in the division but there are plenty of fighters who may not be the champ but are competitive, ranked fighters. That's where Conor is right now. If he doesn't want that, it will be his choice but if he wants to fight then why shouldn't he?

I’m not disputing he can still fight certain interesting fights. He has RDA, Nick + Nate Diaz, and Tony as interesting options to fight. His days of being “top 3-5” are over, especially with this injury. Thats not a Stephen A take. That’s insulting and quite frankly dumb to say that


He’s a top draw but that’s a different thing entirely

 

[m9]

UFC isn't going to step in and do anything to McGregor.

Most sports leagues would suspend and/or terminate an athlete's contract after the whole world saw that athlete on camera punch an elderly man in a bar.

Dana White is a greedy scumbag though, so he isn't going to do anything to his #1 meal-ticket and biggest box-office attraction.

If UFC was around in the 1980s and was the way it is now, then Dana White would have paid Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy both million-dollar contracts to have a prison cage fight, if Dana White thought he could make money from it.

I don't think his moral standards are too high.

It's a sport where guys punch each other in a cage. Who cares? I think you were more hurt by Conor's punch than the old man was.

 

[m9]

I’m not disputing he can still fight certain interesting fights. He has RDA, Nick + Nate Diaz, and Tony as interesting options to fight. His days of being “top 3-5” are over, especially with this injury. Thats not a Stephen A take. That’s insulting and quite frankly dumb to say that


He’s a top draw but that’s a different thing entirely

I think time will tell if he's a top 5 guy. The only active fighter in the division that has beat him is the best guy, so I think it's fair to see how he looks vs a couple other guys before he gets buried.

 

[CDJ]

I think time will tell if he's a top 5 guy. The only active fighter in the division that has beat him is the best guy, so I think it's fair to see how he looks vs a couple other guys before he gets buried.

I mean Chad Mendes hasn’t lost to any current featherweights outside of the current champ either, doesn’t mean I’d put him in the top 5 when he comes back (like it’s rumored he might do)


We will *maybe* see for sure but I can almost guarantee it’s not going to go well if he keeps fighting at the top of 155. He’s not the same guy and he’s going to be even worse coming off a traumatic injury

 

[m9]

I mean Chad Mendes hasn’t lost to any current featherweights outside of the current champ either, doesn’t mean I’d put him in the top 5 when he comes back (like it’s rumored he might do)


We will *maybe* see for sure but I can almost guarantee it’s not going to go well if he keeps fighting at the top of 155. He’s not the same guy and he’s going to be even worse coming off a traumatic injury

He has to do a better job of picking fights, that's for sure. I don't see why he couldn't beat Chandler, Hooker, Ferguson, Dariush, etc though. If he gets starched vs one of them then the end might be a bit closer.

Honestly as others have said, his power just has never really translated to 155lb/170lb. Eddie's big head was the perfect matchup for him.

 

[CDJ]

He has to do a better job of picking fights, that's for sure. I don't see why he couldn't beat Chandler, Hooker, Ferguson, Dariush, etc though. If he gets starched vs one of them then the end might be a bit closer.

Honestly as others have said, his power just has never really translated to 155lb/170lb. Eddie's big head was the perfect matchup for him.

I don’t disagree with any of this post. Those are the 4 ranked guys at lightweight I think he could have good fights with and I agree with his power not translating the same way at higher weight classes

he was a freak show at 145

 

[SuperScript29]

Conor just needs to retire at this point. The sport has passed him by while he was focused on other things and there is nothing wrong with that. He showed so much class after the last fight and now is trending towards a has been cry baby.

Either retire or just take money fights against popular opponents who are near the end of their career.

 

[bov]

McGregor is definitely behind Poirier, Oliveira, Gaethje. I think Dariush would beat him but that's a coin flip. I'd favor Conor against Chandler, Hooker and possibly Tony, but even then I wouldn't be overly confident. RDA is a tough one. Makhachev would smoke Conor, even some lesser known guys like Tsarukyan and others would probably be very tough for him at this point.

You could argue he's still top 10 but no way he's a top 5 until he proves otherwise.

 

[MMC]

 

[pistolpete11]

I think the "Conor's power doesn't translate to 155" is overstated. It's kind of similar to the "Conor isn't a top 5 contender" anymore. It might be true, but I don't think there is really convincing evidence to support that it is true. I mean, it's only natural punches aren't going to affect bigger guys quite as much, but look at the guys he hasn't been able to KO.

Nate: has never been stopped due to punches despite taking some beatings throughout his career and it was at 170.
Poirier: even since moving up to LW, he is much bigger and durable than the guy that was KO'ed by Michael Johnson. He's been in some wars and has won them all.
Khabib: I'm not sure Conor really landed any clean shots on Khabib, and if he did, it would have been in the 3rd round after he had been dropped and pounded into the canvas for 5min.

Poirier said after both fights that Conor can punch. I think even Nate said he hits hard, just that it wasn't anything he hasn't felt before. I think it's still an open question whether he lands on some of these other guys what happens...except Gaethje. I think Gaethje eats them similarly to Poirier.


I also don't really get the discrediting the Eddie KO like he's some glass jawed schlub. Eddie had been fighting a long time and was only KO'ed once prior and it was 9 years before Conor. Eddie was also in 2 wars with Poirier and 1 with Gaethje AFTER Conor, so it's not like Conor got some damaged guy who couldn't take a punch anymore. Conor sat him down however many times in the first round and then finished him and made it look effortless.