Dustin Poirier gives his honest assessment of UFC 257 opponent Conor McGregor's skills

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier recently shared what he thinks of Conor McGregor's skills ahead of their UFC 257 matchup.

At UFC 257 in January, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor will go head to head for the second time in their careers.

Poirier and McGregor first crossed paths back in 2014, with the latter winning by TKO in just under two minutes.

The two former featherweights have come a long way since, with both men becoming champions at the 155-pound division at one point in their careers.

Now, both Porier and McGregor are once again on the path to a championhship, and their rematch at UFC 257 will definitely have some title implications.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Poirier gave an honest assessment of 'The Notorious' skills:.

With regards to striking, Poirier touched on McGregor's ability to throw counter punches:

"Watching footage and stuff like that, I can tell you the guy has one of the best counter-2s in the game, no doubt about it. His timing, his balance, his understanding of distance when guys are being too heavy on their front foot and throwing power shots, he’s a great counter-puncher, he really is. I give him credit for that.

Following submission losses to Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor's submission and grappling skills have been put into question. Poirier however believes that McGregor's grappling acumen has been wrongly underestimated:

"I think people - because he’s been submitted and he is such a big puncher - I think people dismiss his ground game, but I think his jiu-jitsu and his grappling is better than people are giving him credit for, I really do."

Dustin Poirier isn't underestimating Conor McGregor

Dustin Poirier knows better than to take Conor McGregor lightly.

In their first meeting back in 2014, McGregor needed just a minute and 47 seconds to finish Poirier off by TKO.

As impressive as that performance was, Poirier believes that Conor McGregor will have even more to show in their rematch at UFC 257:

"I’m sure he’s always evolving. I’m sure he’s working, trying to get better."

Looking to avoid a repeat of history, Poirier is preparing for the best version of Conor McGregor that there is:

"I’m not underestimating this guy in any aspect of mixed martial arts. I expect the guy to come out as a mixed martial artist, not a boxer, not a one-puncher, he’s coming to fight, and so am I."

With possibly the future of the UFC's lightweight division hanging in the balance, the Poirier-McGregor clash at UFC 257 is shaping up to be one of the most highly-anticipated matches for 2021.

Rewind the clocks ⏳⏮ Look back on @DustinPoirier vs @TheNotoriousMMA from #UFC178 now. #UFC257 pic.twitter.com/fgl3FuQ60l

— UFC (@ufc) November 23, 2020