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UFC 257 winner Dustin Poirier believes Conor McGregor is the craftiest fighter in the UFC and is also a master in playing the dark art of mind games.
In a recent appearance on an episode of First We Feast, Dustin Poirier explained to host Sean Evans the impact that McGregor's antics had on his mindset before their first fight at UFC 178 in 2014.
Poirier believes that the Irishman put the principles of the ancient military treatise 'The Art of War' on full display which led to Poirier's defeat in that first fight.
"Conor McGregor the first time I fought him. one hundred percent. No doubt about it. 'The Art of War' was on full display. He might have beat me before the fight started man. He talked about Louisiana, talked about my family, talked about my skillset... whatever you could say. I was a young fighter at the time and I just thought about everything he said too much, then I read articles about what the critics said, what the media is saying, and stuff like that. As I matured in the sport I realized, I just gotta focus on what I can control," Dustin Poirier told Sean Evans.
One of the most surprising aspects for fight fans heading into the UFC 257 rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier was the absence of the Irishman's brash and outspoken personality.
Breaking his opponents mentally before they ever set a foot inside the UFC octagon with his trash-talking and mind games has been an integral part of Conor McGregor's strategy throughout his fighting career.
But the mature and respectful approach taken by the Irishman in the lead-up to UFC 257 was one nobody expected.
Dustin Poirier handed Conor McGregor the first knockout loss of his career in the fight and has since gained a lot of popularity among fight fans.
Absence of mind games may have cost Conor McGregor against Dustin Poirier: Daniel Cormier
While Conor McGregor received a lot of praise for his respectful approach in the aftermath of the fight, retired former UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes that detaching himself completely from his swagger may have affected the Irishman's performance inside the octagon.
In the 25th January issue of ESPN's DC Helwani show, Cormier expressed his reservations about the efficacy of Conor McGregor's tactics in his loss to Dustin Poirier.
I truly believe that some people need that edge. Do I think that he (Conor McGregor) needs to go as far as he went in the Khabib fight? No. That was too far... I think that Conor was so loose in the build-up (of Dustin Poirier rematch) that it allowed him to be a little free, and I felt like he looked like himself but you could see a little bit less of that McGregor swagger... and I don't care what you say... anybody that watched the fight could see it right? He just didn't seem like the same guy. I would advice a lot of those fighters who went to the top of that mountain with that type of style you can't truly just eliminate it all. You just can't. I'm sorry," Daniel Cormier said.
