UFC legend and perennial spotlight holder Conor McGregor is gearing up to face his adversary Dustin Poirier in the headliner of UFC 264. McGregor will look to bounce back from his loss against the same opponent earlier this year to cap off their rivalry.

In recent times, his appearances inside the octagon have reduced (three fights since November 2016). This is a stark contrast when compared to his much more frequent outings from 2013 to 2016. Various fighters and fans alike have constantly labeled McGregor’s thirst for money behind his recent unconvincing performances.

Now, the former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping too has added a word or two to the ever-increasing debate. ‘The Count’ recently appeared for an interview with talkSport. He talked about similarities between him and McGregor and why he thinks the latter is not the same fighter anymore.

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“The Conor McGregor of old is just like the me of old. It doesn’t exist anymore,” he said. “I’m a nice guy… but I used to be a bit of a nightmare.”

He added, “With Conor McGregor, it’s the same thing. The man’s loaded. He’s pulling up on $100million yachts and got million-dollar watches. He gets chauffeured in Rolls Royces.”

Bisping then explained how fighters pin their hopes on making a living out of their bouts. But according to him, McGregor has reached a point from where he doesn’t need to think about it anymore.

“That’s not an insult, that’s just the reality of the situation. It doesn’t mean he can’t go out there and have a great performance and win, because he can. It’s going to be a tough fight though,” he concluded.

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Bisping bats for the winner of Conor McGregor vs Poirier to fight for the gold

Charles Oliveira saw his years of penance getting rewarded as he captured the coveted lightweight title by beating Michael Chandler at UFC 262. He can now take a backseat and watch the action unfold for his first challenger.

Bisping, though, knows what lies ahead for the champion. “Whoever wins that fight should certainly go on to fight for the belt,” he said about the UFC 264 main event.

“They are the most high profile in that division and are ranked high enough. Dustin was an interim champion and Conor is a former champion. The fight, whoever wins that will fight for the belt, as long as they don’t get injured.” 

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McGregor surely has more on the line compared to Poirier in the trilogy bout. But a win against his nemesis could rest all the cases put up by his critics.

Will he be able to do it? What’s your opinion?