Dustin Poirier warns Conor McGregor could become a 'freak show fighter' after UFC comeback disaster
Former MMA champion Dustin Poirier has warned that Conor McGregor could become a ‘freak show fighter’ after his UFC comeback ended in disaster.
McGregor's eagerly anticipated return to the Octagon for UFC 329 didn’t end as most people expected.
The Irish MMA fighter came out all guns blazing with a couple of high kicks aimed towards opponent Max Holloway.
However, he appeared to land awkwardly and blew his knee out, which sent him tumbling to the canvas and the match was over in a little over a minute.
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As yet, the extent of his injuries hasn’t been revealed but McGregor has insisted he will recover and aim to fight again.
Former UFC champ Poirier, who broke McGregor’s leg back in 2021, has now shared his thoughts on how the future might look for the 38-year-old.
Speaking on The Fight with Teddy Atlas, Poirier shared his thoughts on what could be next for McGregor and the hosts suggested that he could go in for exhibition fights or attempt a trilogy with Nate Diaz.
However, Poirier expressed concerns that he could end up becoming a ‘freak show fighter’ if his injury means that he can no longer fight at the level he used to.
“With the record-breaking career he's had, I would just hate to see him be a freak show fighter like that, and only come out for these exhibitions,” Poirier said.
“It’s tough, of course the world would watch him fight Diaz for the trilogy.
“The world would watch anything he does, especially in combat sports. So a boxing match — it's going to be tough.”
Poirier said that with McGregor’s impressive history in the sport he’ll ‘always be able to sell tickets’.
But added: “How many times can you cry wolf before the fans are like, ‘We're not breaking ticket gate records anymore. We're not coming. We're not flying across the world to watch you fight. We know what we get with you. A flash in the pan.’
"How many times can you do this before people start moving on?”
He went on to say that some fans may go along in the hopes of catching a spectacle, rather than to enjoy the sport.
“People are attracted to this, they want to see what you're going to do. They want to see some kind of freak show. They want to see a car wreck,” he said.
“That's just human nature.
“He's always going to be able to sell tickets. I do believe, but how many times can he come out and have a one round fight and still sell to this magnitude, to where the whole world stops and watches you fight? At some point, it does slow down.”
Poirier isn’t the only one who has concerns over McGregor’s future in the sport.
To last just over a minute and have to go via a knee injury might be seen as a sign by some that it's time to pack it in, but McGregor seems insistent he has at least one more fight left in him.
Topics: Conor McGregor, UFC
Claire Reid