Dustin Poirier is one of the most resilient fighters in all of the UFC and is willing to be taken to deep waters in order to get a victory over Conor McGregor during the main event of UFC 257.
Poirier (26-6) is looking for revenge against the aforementioned McGregor (22-4) from their previous bout at UFC 178, where Poirier was TKO'd in the first-round by the what would be future UFC featherweight and lightweight champion.
The Louisiana-native is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to have his hand raised at the end of the night on Jan. 23.
“It’s not about revenge and payback,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “It’s about prosperity, about putting my family in position to be successful. It’s about raising awareness to (The Good Fight) Foundation and helping bring awareness to people in need. It’s a lot of things. It’s about being the world champion. It’s about getting closer to that title. But it’s not about revenge. It’s about work and grind. That’s what it’s about: success.”
“When we’re dry early, he has all the pop and the spring still in his step,” Poirier said. “[He’s] very dangerous. Good thing it’s a 25-minute fight, and I feel like I’ve matured and developed my skills enough to be in the right moments and take the right chances and not put myself in harm’s way right off the bat.”
Poirier argued that his ability to win long fights makes him the better fighter.
“I feel like the better fighter wins in the longer fights,” he argued. “Anybody can get hurt early or submitted early in a fight. The more a fight blossoms and unfolds, the better fighter usually rises up and I just want to show that I’m the better fighter… Those later rounds, I get going. I’m sure Conor’s made adjustments. He has slowed down in the later rounds, but I think the longer this fight goes, the better it plays out for me.”
“Of course, I would love to go in there and get it over with early (and) not take unnecessary damage,” Poirier said. “But I just think a fight that plays into will and want and a position where we have to dig down and suffer, I think I can suffer more."
“The plan is to beat Conor McGregor by any means necessary: Blood and guts and fight for the world title again," Poirier concluded.
UFC 257 takes place on Jan. 23 from the Etihad Arena on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by the rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
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