Dustin Poirier: Avenging Conor McGregor Loss Isn’t Top Priority

Dustin Poirier has called for a second fight with Conor McGregor in the past, and there’s no question he’d sign up for a rematch with the star. But, ‘The Diamond’ says that if it came down to choosing a second fight with McGregor, or Khabib Nurmagomedov, titles aside, it would be the latter.

Poirier says beating Nurmagomedov would mean more for his legacy

Due to the fact Poirier has gone 10-2, with 1 no-contest since he lost to McGregor in 2014, talk about him fighting the former champ again continues. Especially since both men are sitting at the top of the UFC’s lightweight division.

Poirier has campaigned for a rematch with McGregor in the past. But while talking to MMA Junkie recently, the former interim champ explained why he’d opt to fight Khabib again, over Conor, if no belt was on the line.

“If the belts weren’t on the line, just for my legacy, I would love to beat Khabib,” Poirier said. “Nobody’s ever beat him.

Nobody’s ever climbed that mountain. I would love to be the first one. That’s historic. That’s legendary. That’s the stuff I’m out to do.

I’m not out for rematches and grudge matches and revenge. I’m a grown man, I don’t hold that stuff in my heart. I have a family and this is a business to me.

“When I was younger, I might have wanted to fight Conor or fight anybody who beat me. But I’m just comfortable with everything.

I’m comfortable with my record, with the stuff that I’ve done, the fights I’ve done. The fights that I’ve lost, I learned my lessons and tried to keep moving forward.

So I’d really like to be the first one to beat Khabib.”

Makes sense?

Now, of course getting a win over McGregor would be a nice addition to Poirier’s record. Further, even though Poirier says he’s “comfortable” with how his career’s unfolded, you know on some level he’d be thrilled to avenge that defeat.

But, what Poirier said about beating Khabib, and what it would mean for his legacy, makes a lot of sense. Even McGregor’s biggest boosters can likely understand why.

While McGregor is one of the greatest fighters of this generation, at the end of the day, he’s lost four times. Not only has Nurmagomedov never been defeated, he’s won almost every round he’s had in the UFC.

That puts him in pretty special, if not unique company (even if Conor has won belts in two different divisions).

The question is, will we see Poirier fight either Nurmagomedov or McGregor again? When you consider the abilities of Poirier, and that he’s only 31, you would think there’s a good chance at least one of those fights will happen.