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Manny Pacquiao has suggested that Conor McGregor may have underestimated Dustin Poirier heading into their UFC 257 fight.
The first fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier was contested at featherweight and transpired at UFC 178 in September 2014. McGregor won that fight in spectacular fashion, defeating Poirier via first-round TKO.
Needless to say, Conor McGregor seemed incredibly confident ahead of their rematch at UFC 257, even going as far as predicting that he’d KO Poirier inside of 60 seconds in the rematch. Their UFC 257 fight was contested at lightweight, and it played out quite differently.
Poirier gradually weakened McGregor’s lead leg and then finished the fight with a beautiful punching combination along the fence, defeating McGregor via second-round TKO.
In the aftermath of UFC 257, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao – who’d previously suggested that he’d face McGregor in a pro boxing match this year (2021) – has indicated that he’s unlikely to face McGregor anytime soon. Addressing McGregor’s loss to Poirier, Manny Pacquiao said the following to ABS-CBN News:
“Losing is part of the game. In sport there are winners and losers, that's all. It is not about defeat, but about how you accept defeat in your life: how you get over that difficult time in your life…McGregor had already beaten his rival before and I think that made him underestimate him." (*Quotes courtesy: Boxing Scene)
The consensus in the combat sports world is that Conor McGregor being out-struck and KO’d in his UFC 257 fight severely dented fan-interest in a potential boxing match between him and Pacquiao.
Conor McGregor’s next combat sports contest is likely to be an MMA fight in the UFC
Sean Gibbons, who’s the president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, reiterated that Conor McGregor’s UFC 257 knockout loss dampened fan-interest in a potential Pacquiao-McGregor fight. Speaking to Sun Sport, Gibbons stated:
"Very unfortunate (that McGregor lost), it looked like Conor looked past Dustin and got knocked out. Maybe he had the Senator on his mind. I think the demand for the fight is not there presently…Conor has some business to clean up and handle in the UFC. It's a bummer, it could have been fun for as long as it lasted and know leg kicks would have made a world of difference."
Presently, the vast majority of combat sports fans and experts believe that Conor McGregor’s next professional combat sports contest won’t be a boxing match. Instead, McGregor is expected to return to the UFC’s octagon, potentially to compete against Poirier in their trilogy fight.
Meanwhile, Manny Pacquiao's rumored fight against Ryan Garcia too seems to have fallen apart. As of this time, Pacman's next opponent and comeback date remain uncertain.
