The UFC 264 press conference saw the return of the old, trash-talking Conor McGregor. The Irishman arrived in a dapper suit as always, carrying some new insults to hurl at Dustin Poirier and give the crowd a show.
While it's arguable that McGregor's trash talk isn't what it used to be, he gave glimpses of his old self. The attitude was even visible when he tried to kick Dustin Poirier in the staredown. A video posted by the UFC captures both men walking off stage after the face-off, giving their thoughts on what they saw in their opponent.
Dustin Poirier walked off stage with a smile and said:
"That's a scared little man. A scared little man."
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Poirier has maintained over the past few days that he feels Conor McGregor is insecure coming into the third fight. 'The Diamond' seems to be living up to his words of being in a much different place mentally than he was in their first fight at UFC 178.
After the staredown, Conor McGregor was asked offstage if he saw anything in Dustin Poirier. The Irishman responded by saying:
"Yeah, just fragility."
'The Notorious' Conor McGregor implied that he sees weakness and fear in his rival Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier. He alluded to this during the press conference as well.
Watch the video below:
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will bring the best versions of themselves to UFC 264
A lot is on the line for both 'The Notorious' and 'The Diamond' coming into this highly-awaited trilogy bout. One could argue that the Irishman has more at stake than the Louisiana native.
While Conor McGregor has soared to new heights of success in terms of money and business, his last few octagon outings haven't fared well. A reporter at the press conference pointed out that the last and only time he won a lightweight bout was at UFC 205 against Eddie Alvarez. That was in 2016 when Barack Obama was still president of the United States.
Meanwhile, Dustin Poirier's only loss in his previous nine outings was his failed bid to unify the lightweight belts against then-undisputed champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242. Poirier has racked up wins against the biggest and most dangerous lightweights in the world, earning him a spot as the number one contender.
The winner of the trilogy fight at UFC 264 will undoubtedly challenge current lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the belt.