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Conor McGregor is back. The Irishman competes against Dustin Poirier this weekend in a hugely anticipated trilogy fight and this time he is reverting to the classic ways that brought the attention of fans to him so much during his early run with the UFC.
In a recent interview with BT Sport's Ariel Helwani, Conor McGregor discussed how he is approaching the rubber match. On the topic of whether the fight had become personal for him, McGregor stated that:
"It's never personal, it's just a corpse. It's just a corpse. It's just a corpse in front of me that I need to disect and rip through."
Vintage Conor McGregor trash talk
Conor McGregor surprised fans and media alike at UFC 257 by being incredibly respectful to Dustin Poirier in the buildup to their rematch. That respect appears to have completely disappeared, as he recounted to Helwani how he knocked Poirier out the first time they fought.
"Remember when I bounced his head off like a basketball back in the day," said McGregor. "He jumped up, he is looking at Herb Dean, 'What the f**k is going on?...' It is what it is. It's the fight business. So you know, even in the second bout I shocked him to his core. It was like an electric bolt going through his entire body. So I look forward to doing that again," Conor McGregor said.
Conor McGregor once again appears supremely confident going into this fight. However, whilst he had early success against Poirier in their rematch, it was 'The Diamond' who was ultimately successful, utilizing a combination of calf kicks and counter punching to TKO McGregor.
The stakes for this fight are incredibly high, not just due to the fact that both men hold a win apiece and are looking to put a definitive stamp on their rivalry. UFC president Dana White has heavily implied that this fight is essentially a number one contender bout, meaning the winner will fight for the 155-pound belt next.
The current lightweight champion is Charles Olivera, who recently claimed the vacant title after knocking out Michael Chandler. He will be in attendance for UFC 264, getting a first-hand view of his first title challenger.
