'Now it may be too late' - Daniel Cormier doesn't think Conor McGregor can regain his mental warfare advantage

According to ESPN's Daniel Cormier, Conor McGregor might have lost his mental warfare advantage over Dustin Poirier. The former UFC heavyweight-turned-analyst believes Conor McGregor's behavior ahead of UFC 257 may have generated long-lasting effects on the Irishman's fight plan.

MMA fans and experts questioned Conor McGregor's attitude leading up to the rematch with Poirier in January 2021. The former UFC double champion, known for his trash-talking, displayed a new persona, acting respectfully towards his opponent.

Many have wondered if Conor McGregor's persona contributed to his poor performance inside the octagon, as he did not display the usual aggressiveness when fighting. In a recent post to his Instagram, Conor McGregor announced he had enough of being "Mr. Nice Guy."

Speaking to ESPN's Ariel Helwani on the latest episode of the "DC & Helwani" podcast, Cormier suggested that it might be too late for Conor McGregor to exert his influence over Poirier after changing his intimidating behavior ahead of the bout at UFC 257.

"Dustin even spoke about it himself: The aura of Conor McGregor was gone. Well, part of that aura is: You know that at every turn, he's taking shots at you. He's making you feel inadequate. He's a bit of a jerk, right? But that's okay. That was part of his game. This last approach seemed a little bit different. It did not seem like Conor McGregor was the same guy," said Cormier. "He was the guy with a bit of an edge, right? The guy with a bit of an edge is usually the guy that people tune in for. Floyd Mayweather has a bit of an edge. Oscar De La Hoya had an edge. Mike Tyson has an edge. Conor has an edge. Mike Tyson was so crazy that by the time you went to the fight with him, you're like, 'Man, this dude is out of his mind.' So, he won a lot of fights before he even got out there, right? Conor would do that to people too. I don't think that the approach that he was in last time allowed for him to have that same impact on Dustin. And now it may be too late because Dustin just might not care anymore after knocking him out on the way that he did."

Is Conor McGregor versus Dustin Poirier III happening?

UFC 257: Poirier v McGregor

In the same podcast episode, ESPN's Ariel Helwani hinted that the UFC intends to book a trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor for May 21.

However, it is unknown if the promotion also plans to offer the lightweight championship for the winner of that bout. Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler are still two big names waiting for a title shot.

"So, now it looks, two weeks [after UFC 257], that we are going back in the direction of Dustin Poirier versus Conor McGregor III. That is the direction we are going now," revealed Helwani. "Now the big question is: Belt or not? That seems to be up in the air. Still, I think there's a chance they still don't make it for the belt. How about that?"

Conor McGregor is "buzzing" at the prospect of fighting Dustin Poirier in a trilogy fight "for all the marbles" 🏆 (via @TheNotoriousMMA) pic.twitter.com/W0fMG3dFjK

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) February 3, 2021