Conor McGregor is one of the best MMA fighters in the world. However, he wasn’t one tonight. Dustin Poirier exacted his revenge from almost 7 years ago and beat Conor in the second round of the UFC 257 main event.

Despite the TKO loss, Conor spoke to Jon Anik in the Octagon after and gave a very candid look into his mindset after this setback.

“It’s hard to overcome inactivity… The long calf kick was very good. The leg was dead, and then I just wasn’t as comfortable as I needed to be. It’s the inactivity, but Dustin is some fighter. We are in here. If you put in the time in here, you are going to get cozy in here. I have to dust it off and come back, and that is what I will do.

He further criticized his lack of fights. “I need activity guys. You don’t get away with being inactive in this business. I will take my licks and ugh. I am gutted, I put so much work in this. Well done, Dustin, good man. Ugh. It is a tough one to swallow. I put in a lot of work I am proud of me work. But, we will get to go again and that is it.”

Conor McGregor: What’s next?

This loss won’t bode well for Conor McGregor and his immediate future. While Poirier hinted towards an immediate rematch, that may not be the best way for UFC to pivot from this fight.

Any fight Conor takes now is a high-risk and low-reward fight. If he wants to stay active and fight his way back to the top, he will have to face elite competition without a guarantee of something big with the next win. ‘The Notorious’ hasn’t won a fight at lightweight since 2016, so maybe a division change also could be on the horizon.

Classy responses from Conor all around the board, though. He admitted his mistakes, gave the props to Poirier, and has promised to come back. Let’s see what happens from here on out.