scorecard
  1. Home
  2. sports
  3. news
  4. Conor McGregor will knock Dustin Poirier out in their trilogy bout, according to the UFC's latest signing

Conor McGregor will knock Dustin Poirier out in their trilogy bout, according to the UFC's latest signing

Alan Dawson   

Conor McGregor will knock Dustin Poirier out in their trilogy bout, according to the UFC's latest signing
  • Conor McGregor will beat Dustin Poirier in their prospective trilogy bout July 10.
  • That's according to Paddy Pimblett, who recently spoke to Insider after signing with the UFC.
  • "I think McGregor will probably knock him out," British fighter Pimblett said.

Conor McGregor will score a revenge win against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy bout this summer, according to his fellow Cage Warriors alumnus, Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett.

"I think McGregor will probably knock him out," Pimblett told Insider last week, just days after signing a contract to join the UFC.

The Irish striker finished Poirier in the first round of a 2014 featherweight match, took the MMA world by storm in the subsequent years, but came unstuck via calf kicks in January's rematch on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

McGregor has reportedly been hellbent on a third fight so he can try and reverse the last result and win the rivalry 2-1.

Reports on Sunday said the trilogy fight will headline International Fight Week on July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

"That's the plan," the UFC boss Dana White said.

The 32-year-old Irishman has experience of getting beaten, going back to the drawing board, and winning the do-over months later. McGregor lost to Diaz by submission in March 2016, but beat him by in August to tie their rivalry at 1-1.

Pimblett expects McGregor to learn from the Poirier rematch, regroup, and ultimately triumph in the prospective showdown this summer.

"He'll come back with something different to handle them kicks," Pimblett said.

"I said calf kicks would win him the fight and when they did, I said, 'Yeaaaah, you know who the boy is.'

"Calf kicks hurt. They do. You've got to check [block] them or move your leg out of the way - it's that simple. If you don't do that, you're going to have a very bruised leg and you won't walk the next day."

Pimblett told Insider last week that he had signed a deal to fight for the UFC, an announcement that was confirmed by the promotion Monday.

Pimblett had been competing in the Cage Warriors lightweight division after winning the London-based MMA firm's featherweight title in 2016.

He told us that, pending a medical evaluation, a featherweight run in the UFC is likely and he'll be gunning for championships at 145-pounds and, later, at 155-pounds.

"People think I'm a lot older than I am because I've been around on the scene for a long time but I'm only 26," he said. "I still need to grow my body a little bit."

READ MORE ARTICLES ON



Popular Right Now



Advertisement