Conor McGregor has been a monumental figure in the world of combat sports. The luminary fighter has achieved many things in his career, which also include being the first dual-weight champion in UFC. McGregor is a rare breed in the UFC, as he has engaged in multiple captivating rivalries. Among these, his feud with ‘The Diamond’ Dustin Poirier stands out prominently.
Poirier and McGregor have squared off in the Octagon three times, with Poirier emerging victorious in two of those encounters. Their most recent bout resulted in a severe leg injury for ‘The Notorious’, which compelled him to take an extended hiatus from the world of MMA. Recently, our host Noah Lack had the privilege to host Tristin Kennedy in the latest installment of the EssentiallySports exclusive ‘ES Fancast’ and the pair took up the injury for discussion as well.
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier’s rivalry as reflected by Tristin Kennedy
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In their three fights, Poirier won two while McGregor has one fight to his name. Their rivalry started way back in 2014 when McGregor defeated Poirer. Their rivalry took a very dark turn when McGregor hurled personal attacks on Poirier.
Conor McGregor’s last fight with Dustin Poirier was a brutal one, which left him in agony due to a brutal leg injury. McGregor has been out of the octagon since his last fight against Poirier. It took McGregor two years to heal from his broken leg and it can be attributed to his nutritionist, Tristin Kennedy.
While having the conversation, Lack inquired Kennedy about his opinion on McGregor’s rivalry with Poirier. Kennedy was quick to answer the question. He said, ” I wasn’t there, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to comment on the differences in training between Poirier’s camps. Poirier one was multiple years ago, and that was before I was with Conor. I can comment on Poirier two and, of course, the leg break because I was there for all that, both pre-fight and post-fight. It was a difficult time for all of us because when you do, again, and it links into the first question, is why are MMA athletes so extreme?.”
He further stated on the ES exclusive show, “You know, because you risk all these high-end injuries. It’s a high-risk, high-reward game. Not even, you know, it is crazy because you see a lot of fighters going on about how much they’re paid and stuff like that, but that’s another story. It’s just a high-risk game, so we put a lot of work into that camp. It was his first time down to 155 as well in a few years, I believe. I think we did fight before that, which went very, very successfully for us. Again, really, really well. The camp was brilliant.”
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John Kavanagh talks about Conor McGregor’s way of doing things
Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh was recently interviewed, and he said that McGregor is a fighter who doesn’t look back at his shortcomings and focuses on always moving forward. “So we’re always dealing with something, and there’s always something you can train with Conor. There are remarkable videos out there when he had that severe injury.”
He added, “It was horrific. The next morning he was in pubs, and that’s just always been Conor’s way. No matter what is injured, if he can’t do something – say, kick, squat, run – he’ll look at what he can do with his other set of muscles that aren’t injured. So, push-ups, pull-ups, dumbbell curls, you know, whatever. And he’s had that attitude since the beginning. He doesn’t focus on what he can’t do, he only looks at what he can do.”
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With Conor McGregor returning to the octagonal arena after a long hiatus, what are your expectations from ‘Mystic Mac’? Will Conor McGregor push for a rematch with Dustin Poirier? Did Kennedy’s revelations on ES Fancast give you any new insights about a potential fourth fight? Do tell us your opinion in the comments below.
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