On Conor McGregor’s Next Fight: ‘That Would Be Stupid’

UFC 257 PS4

Getty Conor McGregor faces Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 257 on Saturday.

All signs point to Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 later this year, and one of McGregor’s colleagues isn’t a fan of that fight.

“Notorious” and Poirier are 1-1 against each other in the UFC, with McGregor earning a first-round TKO victory in 2014 and “The Diamond” defeating the Irishman via second-round TKO in January.

According to UFC president Dana White, Notorious has pursued the trilogy bout with Poirier since their second fight which took place at UFC 257. Both fighters have expressed interest on social media in fighting each other again in the coming months.

No. 12 ranked UFC lightweight Kevin Lee recently gave his thought on McGregor vs. Poirier to MMA Junkie. Lee (18-6) last fought in March 2020, losing to Charles Oliveira by tapping to a guillotine choke in the third round.

Kevin Lee

GettyKevin Lee celebrates his victory over Gregor Gillespie during UFC 244 in November 2019.

“The Motown Phenom” told MMA Junkie recently that he believes putting together the third fight with Poirier and McGregor is “stupid” and that Notorious should pursue a trilogy match with Nate Diaz instead. He said that because of McGregor’s popularity, he gets the opportunity for immediate rematches when other fights have to wait years for the chance to correct a loss.

“I think it makes sense for (McGregor) to go fight Nate,” Lee said via the outlet. “I know they’re talking about him and Poirier again, but that would be stupid – even on his end.

“I don’t think a lot of people come back from being knocked out and then in an immediate rematch get to win it. And it’s like, ‘Come on.’ Can we stop giving the guy so many, I mean, he gets a lot of benefits. He gets to call all his fights and avenge losses right away. I’ve had to wait to fight Tony Ferguson three years, really it be four years by the time I fight him, and he gets to do it right away. Go ahead, give him Nate Diaz, and then by the end of the year, then me and him can get it on. That sounds good to me.”

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Lee Said Poirier’s Win Over McGregor ‘Shook Up the Game’

McGregor losing to Poirier “shocked everyone,” Lee said during his interview with MMA Junkie.

“I think that shocked a lot of people. It shocked everyone really,” he said. “I think it even shocked McGregor – I could see it in his eyes when he was going down.

“It shook up the game, that’s for sure. It damn sure shook up the game, but it made it more interesting to be honest. If he had won, I think it would’ve fell in line with where things are going, but that’s one the thing I love about MMA: You just really don’t ever know what’s going to happen.”

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People ‘Are Going to Want to See [McGregor] Lose Again,’ Lee Said

Lee also said that he believes McGregor losing to Poirier increased the Irishman’s stock.

“I think if anything, his stock kind of went up still,” Lee continued. “I know a lot of people are looking at it like, ‘Oh he’s striker and got knocked out. He’s going to be down for a long time.’ But I kind of think his stock went up by losing because people want to see him lose. They’re going to want to see him lose again, they’re going to want it again. And for me, personally, it’s great because with him losing, now I can fight him sooner.”

According to MMA Junkie, Lee is hoping to return to the Octagon in the summer and is angling with a rematch with Tony Ferguson. Ferguson submitted The Motown Phenom in 2017 when they fought for the interim lightweight strap.

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