Dana White admits Conor McGregor was “Overlooking” Dustin Poirier at UFC 257: Watch

Going into UFC 257, Conor McGregor was a huge favourite, considering he had defeated Dustin Poirier in the past. He even had a lucrative boxing match against Manny Pacquiao lined up, but everything was ruined as he was battered by the Diamond. The former interim lightweight champion slowed McGregor with some vicious leg kicks, before picking him apart with a barrage of left and rights, giving him his first-ever KO loss (fourth loss in general).

UFC 257: Dana White on Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier

After the bout, Conor McGregor asked for a rematch, claiming that he wants to complete the trilogy he started with Dustin Poirier in 2014. The Diamond also seemed interested in a bout, with Dana White on board with the idea. However, while talking to BT Sport, the UFC supremo said that he wants McGregor to be ‘way more serious’ going into the third bout.

Dana White even claimed that the former UFC double champion was already looking past Poirier before they even set foot in the octagon at UFC 257. “I think Conor was overlooking Dustin, and [had a mindset] like, ‘let me get through this, so I can work on other things,'” White said.

Conor McGregor next fight: McGregor overlooked Poirier?

In the lengthy statement he posted on Instagram, Conor McGregor admitted that he was not fully focused as he was treating the Poirier bout as the precursor to a mega-match with Pacquiao. The Notorious One said that because of his laid-back approach, he deserved to get his leg kicked by The Diamond at UFC 257. He claimed he was fit going into the bout and was “enjoying [his] work”, but admitted that his opponent delivered a great performance and deserved to win. 

“It’s what I get for picking this bout and opponent as a precursor to a boxing match against Pacman. I deserved to get the legs kicked off me going in with this thinking. This is not the game to play around with,” he added.

The Dustin Poirier loss not just pushed Conor McGregor to the sixth spot of the lightweight rankings but also cost him the boxing match with Pacquiao, which was rumoured to take place later this year. According to reports, both McGregor and Pacquiao had verbally agreed for the bout to take place somewhere in the Middle Eeast, but after the conclusion of UFC 257, Manny Pacquiao scrapped the McGregor plans and started talking to rising boxing star Ryan Garcia.

Image Source: AP, UFC/ Twitter