Former UFC double champ Conor McGregor suffered a brutal defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. It was the Irishman’s first MMA loss via a T/KO. This defeat has not only left a fleck on his MMA career but also his anticipated boxing run.
Putting some light on this juncture, boxer turned promoter Dmitry Salita said, “I believe that there will be significantly less interest in his boxing return. The hook is that he is one of the best in the UFC, but that is not the case anymore.”
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Salita was in a chat with The Sun, when he laid his notions on the ‘Notorious’ one’s MMA and boxing career.
“He needs to win the rematch in a dominating way. And it would be better if he did with a boxing style KO. Such defeats are somewhat unexpected and can cause a dent in a career,” he added.
McGregor started off the fight well and fared considerably well in Round 1. But Poirier caught him with some significant striking and put him onto the canvas. This defeat has affected McGregor’s possibilities for a lightweight title shot in the UFC and also hampered his chances of a boxing return.
Prior to the Poirier fight, the ‘Notorious’ expressed his keen interest in coming back to boxing and contending the legend, Manny Pacquiao. However, a loss at this stage has poured cold water on his boxing return. Even post-fight, Conor McGregor showcased his anticipation for a trilogy with Poirier rather than any other fight.
Salita asserted that the former double champ should knock Poirier out in his trilogy to make his boxing return watch-worthy.
Should Conor McGregor stick to MMA or come back to boxing?
Before the UFC 257 clash, McGregor fought last in January 2020 against Donald Cerrone, where he finished the American in just one round. But he stayed out of action for a year and was pretty inactive to the fighting world. Considering his lackluster run in the sport, McGregor should predominantly stick to MMA and try finding his old self before moving to compete against ‘Pacman’ in boxing.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 05: Conor McGregor poses during a ceremonial weigh-in for UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena on October 05, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. McGregor will challenge UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for his title at UFC 229 on October 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
If he walks into a trilogy with Poirier and wins, needless to say, he’ll enter the boxing ring pretty soon. The rest of 2021 is going to be extremely vital for the ‘Notorious’ one from the MMA career’s standpoint.
It will intrigue the combat sports fans to see what the Irishman plans out for the subsequent months ahead.
What do you make of Dmitry Salita’s remarks on McGregor?
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