Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is not the one to forget his losses, especially against a fierce rival like Dustin Poirier. The Irishman has aggressively pursued rematches against all the opponents that got the better of him inside the UFC octagon.
Barring the exception of Khabib Nurmagomedov, he has been successful in rematches, which many fighters are happy to accept largely due to the massive financial implications associated with fighting ‘The Notorious.’
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier became the only fighter to defeat Conor McGregor twice in his storied MMA career, gaining the upper hand in their trilogy. However, the third fight ended unceremoniously after McGregor suffered a gnarly leg break.
The Irishman started calling for the fourth fight while he was writhing in pain inside the octagon and has called out Poirier on multiple occasions over the last couple of years. He reiterated his stance on the quadrilogy while interacting with fans on X (formerly Twitter):
“Let’s be real, it’s a must. Unfinished.”
See the interaction below:
A brief history of Conor McGregor’s rivalry with Dustin Poirier
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier were young and hungry contenders in the UFC featherweight division in the Jose Aldo era. The duo met in a high-stakes contest at UFC 178 in September 2014.
The Irishman had become notorious for his unique ability to get under his opponent’s skin with trash talk and throw them off their game. Poirier was the first high-profile victim to this mental warfare and lost the fight via a first-round knockout.
However, he turned out to be a late bloomer and reached the peak of his physical and mental abilities when the former foes met inside the UFC octagon six years later.
At UFC 257 in January 2021, Poirier outwitted Conor McGregor who had no answer to ‘The Diamond’s’ slicing calf kicks and lost the fight via a second-round knockout. McGregor’s over-reliance on his newfound boxing-heavy fighting style was cited as one of the primary reasons for his downfall.
The Irishman fiercely pursued the trilogy fight which took place at UFC 264 PPV event that took place in July 2021. Unlike the rematch where McGregor showed a humane and respectful side of his personality, the build-up to the trilogy was noted for vengeful remarks and below-the-belt attacks.
McGregor started out strong but found himself crumbling under Poirier’s high pressure fighting style. Unfortunately, ‘The Notorious’ suffered a leg break at the end of the first round. Dustin Poirier was declared a winner by TKO due to injury.
Conor McGregor has been on the sidelines since the loss. He has laid out a three-fight plan to make a UFC comeback and recently re-entered the USADA testing pool. However, the date for his return is yet to be announced. Meanwhile, Dustin Poirier does not have a scheduled fight either. However, he has dismissed the prospects of a fourth fight with McGregor in the past but he is open for a boxing match with the Irishman.