Dustin Poirier has spent more time in the cage with Conor McGregor and Max Holloway than almost anyone alive, having competed against each man three times. During a podcast appearance following McGregor’s first-round loss to Holloway, Poirier arrived with a clear-eyed take on the wave of conspiracy theories surrounding the performance.
The theories centered on McGregor appearing to favor one leg while removing his shoe, raising speculation that he entered the matchup already compromised. Poirier acknowledged what he saw but pointed directly at the opening moments of the bout as the most convincing counterargument available.
“It’s tough to say, because he did kind of hop on that one foot when he was taking his shoe off,” Poirier said. “But it’s tough to say. If you knew you were injured, I doubt you would throw a jumping sidekick and land sideways on it.”
Atlas pushed further, raising the possibility that McGregor could have launched a reckless kamikaze attack precisely because he knew he was compromised, giving himself a ready-made reason to stop.
Poirier was not persuaded.
“I just don’t think he’s a quitter like that. That’s tough for me. I don’t know if that’s possible with him. If he wanted a built-in excuse, a storyline that’s already wrote itself, and he can blame it on his leg, do something dumb, I don’t know if he’s that type of guy,” Poirier noted. “I say a lot of bad stuff about him, but a quitter, I’m not sure. He’s a real competitor and wants to win.”
Poirier was also candid about McGregor’s physical appearance leading into the match, noting something that registered before the opening bell.
“He looked bloated. I thought his face looked a little shiny. Under his eyes looked a little full. His cheeks looked full. His body looked fit. His face looked unhealthy,” he stated.
As far as what actually went wrong, Poirier pointed to five years away from the sport, no tune-up matches, and the psychological distance that comes with no longer living the life of an active athlete.
“I think it was nerves, adrenaline. It was all that,” Poirier stated. “And I think that got the best of him, and he just made a bad decision to throw this kick in the heat of the moment going off of instinct rather than game plan.”
He also raised concerns about the environment McGregor may have built around himself in training camp.
He stated, “I was worried he wasn’t being told the truth in camp, or people weren’t honest around him. I was worried he put a bunch of people around him telling him how great he looks every day and not being honest with him.”
Looking ahead, Poirier offered a sobering assessment.
“If it’s a torn ACL after five years away, that’s another year on the sideline. At his age, I think he’s done,” Poirier stated. “If he tore his ACL, he’ll never come back the same. How many times can you cry wolf before the fans are like, we’re not breaking gate records anymore, we’re not flying across the world to watch you compete.”
