Dustin Poirier explains why he believes Conor McGregor is a "special individual"

Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor is one of the most exciting rivalries to have come out of the UFC in recent times.

The two UFC stars have gone to war three times. The Irishman won the first encounter back in 2014 but 'The Diamond' turned things around and snatched the next two victories at UFC 257 and UFC 264 respectively.

Poirier recently made an appearance on the Punchin' In podcast. During the nearly two hour conversation, 'The Diamond' talked about various things including his upcoming fight with Charles Oliveira, his career and the UFC 267 event that happened this past weekend.

At one point, the Louisiana native was asked about his thoughts on Conor McGregor as a fighter:

"I think he's [Conor McGregor] a special individual, man. His timing, power, speed, you know, he has some special things about him for sure... Dangerous as f**k, powerful man," said Dustin Poirier.

You can watch the full episode of the Punchin' In podcast below:

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"The friendly part was all fake" - Dustin Poirier on Conor McGregor being nice to him ahead of their UFC 257 rematch

Infamous for his trash-talking skills, Conor McGregor was really friendly in the lead up to his rematch with Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. 'The Notorious' went on to lose the contest via a second round TKO.

However, the Irishman didn't lose his niceness even after the fight as he congratulated 'The Diamond' on his win backstage.

Things eventually turned sour between the two in the lead-up to their trilogy fight at UFC 264.

During his time on the Punchin' In podcast, Dustin Poirier claimed that Conor McGregor's friendly persona in the build-up to their second fight was not genuine:

"Well, the friendly part was all fake anyway, from him at least," said Poirier.

Poirier is currently scheduled to take on Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title at UFC 269. The fight will take place on December 11.