Conor
McGregor seems to believe he’s in a good place even after his
second-round knockout loss to Dustin
Poirier at
UFC 257.
The former UFC two-division champion authored a lengthy post on
Instagram Wednesday, where he examined his defeat and the mistakes
he made against Poirier in-depth. He also claimed that using
Poirier as a “precursor” to a potential boxing match against Manny
Pacquiao might have been a mistake. Overall, though, he claims that
he is on “the correct path for evolution.”
“Thoughts on the bout: I enjoyed racking up some more time inside
the famed UFC Octagon. 40 seconds in 3 years is all I’d had up to
this bout,” McGregor wrote. “I was savoring very second and
enjoying my work. A little single disciplined in my approach and
stance with mostly boxing. 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.
“Besides this [though] my shots where sharp and I was in full
control. Albeit the leg attacks [were] building up on me throughout
the course. 18 in total thrown at me, with the final one buckling
my leg fully, that was that. The peroneal nerve compromised.
Fascinating! First time to experience it. Then a tremendous
finishing flurry by my opponent. Hats off! A well fought fight by
‘The Diamond.’”
While McGregor clearly struggled with the low kicks of his
opponent, he found solace in improved conditioning in the early
going of the bout after being taken down by Poirier.
“I was in second gear cruising this fight. Best condition I’ve ever
been in,” he wrote. “After the wrestling and clinch exchanges my
shots still held their pop. First time for me with this so I am
very encouraged to keep going. It was the first time I did not
use/nor need the stool between rounds also. I did need the stool
after [though] that’s for sure.”
Ultimately, McGregor reiterated a desire for a trilogy with
Poirier. His coach, John
Kavanagh, recently
suggested that such a matchup be for the vacant lightweight
belt — a notion that has irked the rest of the lightweight
division.
“[One] a piece now with a trilogy bout for all the marbles! Wow!
Exciting!” McGregor wrote. “Not a trilogy I was expecting, nor the
tactical affair I was anticipating, but I’d be lying if I said this
wasn’t meant to be. This is exactly how this was always meant to
be! Buzzing!!”