UFC: Conor McGregor vows to KO Dustin Poirier ‘inside 60 seconds’ as Dana White dangles Khabib title fight
- The 32-year-old Irish star says Poirier ‘is a good fighter, he’s even a great fighter, but great is still levels below me’
- UFC president White says if McGregor beats Poirier on January 23 he would ‘fight for the title, I’m sure’
Conor McGregor predicts he will finish lightweight opponent Dustin Poirier within a minute of their rematch.
The Irishman (22-4) brought back shades of his classic “Mystic Mac” predictions in a UFC 257 promotional video. The 32-year-old headlines the card alongside American Poirier (26-6) in Abu Dhabi on January 23.
“I like Dustin. I think he’s a good fighter. He’s even a great fighter. But great is still levels below me. I’ll knock Dustin out inside 60 seconds,” said the former two-weight champion McGregor, who beat Poirier in 1 minute 46 seconds at featherweight in UFC 178 in 2014.
In an interview with ESPN, the promotion’s president Dana White said a win against Poirier would propel him to a title shot – and it could even be for a rematch against undefeated retired lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0).
“[Is Conor] the right opponent? Yeah. Listen, no matter what you think of Conor personally, Conor McGregor is not only one of the best in the world but one of the best to ever do it and right now he’s as focused as he’s ever been,” White said.
“I don’t know if this is going to be the same Conor after the Poirier fight. Conor goes [up and down] but if this Conor sticks around for the next year, how do you not do Khabib vs Conor again?
“The division’s stacked with tough guys, and the reality is if Khabib does retire, then whoever the highest ranked guy is at the time will end up facing Conor if Conor beats Poirier and would fight for the title, I’m sure.”
Last week, McGregor also tweeted that he is promising “a masterpiece” against Poirier.
