'Say hello to the bad guy' - John Kavanagh teases the return of the old Conor McGregor at UFC 264

It seems Conor McGregor will no longer be 'Mr. Nice Guy' heading into the all-important trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

McGregor's head coach John Kavanagh shared a video clip of the Irishman's first meeting with Poirier ahead of their UFC 178 clash. In the clip, McGregor and Poirier indulge in an intense stare-off before the Irishman tells Poirier, "Get ready to fall." The outspoken nature of McGregor clearly got to Poirier as he said he's never disliked anybody as much as 'The Notorious.'

Kavanagh captioned the video by saying: 'Say hello to the bad guy.' This was a clear reference to Conor McGregor's famous trash-talking persona, which was shoved under the rug before the rematch with Poirier at UFC 257. Kavanagh is likely hinting at the return of the old Conor McGregor at UFC 264.

Say ello to the bad guy https://t.co/fZoRCVsms4

— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) June 30, 2021

McGregor was surprisingly friendly with Poirier ahead of their rematch and only had words of praise for his opponent. However, after being knocked out at UFC 257, McGregor declared he would not be 'Mr. Nice guy' anymore. Many pundits also feel that the Irishman must resort to trash-talking and mind games as he used to if he wants to get inside his opponent's head.

Khabib Nurmagomedov predicts the outcome of Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier 3

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Conor McGregor must put away Dustin Poirier in the first round to win the trilogy fight. According to the Russian, if the fight goes beyond the first round, Poirier is more likely to emerge victorious.

Nurmagomedov also stated that Conor McGregor will be very dangerous in the opening round of the fight and can get a knockout victory against Poirier. Regardless of the outcome, 'The Eagle' predicts that McGregor will win the first round.

"Like I said before, I think if it goes past the first round, well I think McGregor takes the first round. If it goes past the first, it's Poirier's."

"You can have all the money in the world, but you can't buy heart." 💎❤️[ 📺 #UFC264 Countdown | July 3 on @ABC ] pic.twitter.com/iALL9T1qZX

— UFC (@ufc) June 29, 2021