'The Notorious' Conor McGregor revived his trash-talking persona at the UFC 264 press conference. While it has been brewing for some time now, McGregor has largely stayed away from the media in the lead-up to UFC 264. However, his mental warfare was laid bare for all to see at the pre-fight press conference.
A few days ago, Conor McGregor sent MMA social media into a tizzy when he posted an image of a DM request from Dustin Poirier's wife, Jolie Poirier. It would appear that was only the beginning. During the UFC 264 press conference, Conor McGregor proceeded to say that Jolie Poirier is Dustin Poirier's husband. The Irishman's jibe was probably a take on the adage: "She wears the pants in the relationship."
Conor McGregor even repeatedly began to mouth the phrase "Jolie's wife," hoping to get the crowd into a chant. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out as well as he perhaps intended.
You can watch the moment at 00:30 of the video below:
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Dustin Poirier caught up with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto after the press conference. Upon being asked whether McGregor's statements affected him, especially in an arena with fans cheering, 'The Diamond' replied:
"No, it was kind of like that made him less powerful, I felt. Because he's talking silly stuff about my wife, she's my husband or something, what the f**k you talking about, you know? He shouldn't even be talking about marriages, with the kind of s**t he's out there doing."
Brett Okamoto proceeded to ask Dustin Poirier if the kick that Conor McGregor threw during the staredowns affected him. The Louisiana native brushed it off by saying:
"Dana [White] said he got kneed in the stomach. The shot hit him. That's cute, man, have fun. I'm going to be doing the real kicking on Saturday night."
Watch the full interview below:
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Dustin Poirier is confident he will get his hand raised against Conor McGregor on Saturday
'The Diamond' Dustin Poirier is as confident as can be heading into UFC 264. After being the first person to knock Conor McGregor out at UFC 257, the American is definitely sure of his abilities.
Following his loss at UFC 257, Conor McGregor vowed to stop being his new, respectful self. Leading up to UFC 264, the old ways of 'The Notorious' seem to be returning. Mental warfare and getting inside an opponent's head have always been a big part of Conor McGregor's arsenal.
However, he may be facing a very different Dustin Poirier this time around. When they first met at UFC 178 in a featherweight bout, Poirier admitted McGregor got inside his head. Leading up to UFC 257 and UFC 264, Dustin Poirier has consistently maintained that he's a completely different person who isn't affected by such tactics anymore.
It will be interesting to see if Conor McGregor's comments slide off his shoulder or if 'The Diamond' does come with some level of anger into the fight.