"A lot of things will change" - Dana White reveals how Conor McGregor's absence will impact the UFC lightweight division

Dana White was recently interviewed on the first-ever episode of the Nelk Boys' Full Send podcast. Amidst a variety of other subjects, the UFC president was asked to weigh in on the outcome of the Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3.

Dana White claimed to be okay with the Irishman's defeat, potentially seeing the decline of the promotion's biggest star. When asked how Poirier's win would affect the business side of things for the UFC, Dana White replied:

"Listen, whoever wins wins. We put on fights with the best fighters in the world and whoever wins wins. And you move on. You know, he won now Dustin Poirier is gonna fight for the title. You know, Conor McGregor's gonna heal up and hopefully come back in a year. And you know, a lot of things will change in the next year while Conor's gone. So, we'll see what the world looks like when Conor comes back and figure out what he does next."

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor finally put an end to their long-standing rivalry in the main event at UFC 264. However, the highly anticipated rubber match was met with a rather anticlimactic ending as McGregor broke his leg at the end of the first round. 'The Notorious' was unable to sit up on his stool during the break, and Poirier was adjudged the winner via TKO due to doctor's stoppage.

An injury to Conor McGregor's leg forced a Doctor's Stoppage in the #UFC264 main event.Dustin Poirier won via TKO. pic.twitter.com/jsZVltGniI

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 11, 2021

Watch Dana White's interview below:

---

Dana White has hinted at Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier 4

Upon returning to the octagon, whenever it may be, Conor McGregor might have a chance to avenge the first back-to-back losses of his career. Dana White seemingly wasn't happy with how the trilogy fight ended and hinted at a fourth outing between McGregor and Poirier.

Dana White told media at the UFC 264 post-fight presser:

"It sucks. It’s brutal. It’s not the way you want to see fights end. Dustin Poirier will fight for the title, and when Conor is healed and ready to go, you do the rematch, I guess. I don’t know. The fight didn’t get finished. You can’t have a fight finish that way, so we’ll see how this whole thing plays out. Who knows how long Conor is out, so Poirier will do his thing until Conor’s ready.”