In retrospect, the UFC 257 it was a win / win scenario for Conor McGregor.
To bend again to Dustin Poirier in the star of the PPV the Irishman would have been pole position a titular opportunity. If he lost, which was what happened on January 23, he would have the leverage to propose a rematch that would surely seduce Poirier from a financial point of view..
Although until now the only one who had expressed himself regarding a potential third chapter was the head coach from McGregor, John Kavanangh, the former double champion has come out to ask for a new title shot and attribute what was the first TKO loss of his career.
“Some highlights from my previous fight,” McGregor said in a lengthy post from his Instagram account. What a trilogy I have in my hands. What a thrill! Taking the blow to the leg kicks I’m going to have fun in there again. I was in second gear during that fight. The best condition I’ve ever been in. After the fight and the exchanges in the clinch my punches were coming in. It was also the first time that I didn’t use / need a bench between rounds. Despite the defeat I am on the right path towards evolution.
The 32-year-old fighter dissected his performance and proceeded to explain how he agreed to the rematch with Poirier in preparation for an eventual boxing match against Manny Pacquiao.
“Fight Observations: I enjoyed racking up time on the famous UFC Octagon. 40 seconds in three years was all I had coming to this fight. I was savoring every second and enjoying my work. Maybe I was too disciplined using mostly one stance for boxing. It’s what I get for choosing this fight and this opponent as a precursor to my Boxing match against Pacman. I deserved to have my legs kicked off for getting into the fight thinking like that. This is not a sport that you can play in. Despite this my shots were accurate and I was in full control. The attacks on my leg accumulated over the course of the fight. 18 in total, with the last one bending my leg completely. The peroneal nerve was compromised. Fascinating!. This is the first time I have experienced it. Then a tremendous flurry of punches from my opponent to end the fight. I take off my hat! A well fought fight from ‘The Diamond’. Now we are 1 – 1 with a trilogy fight for all the gold! Wow! Exciting! It’s not the trilogy I was hoping for, or the technical evening I anticipated, but I’d be lying if I said this isn’t destined. This is exactly how it has to be! “