“This Guy Has a Country Behind Him”- Dustin Poirier Shocked by Irish Support for Conor McGregor

Published 07/01/2021, 11:46 PM EDT

Fighting Conor McGregor can be a daunting task. For most fighters, a fight against McGregor is the biggest fight of their life in terms of the platform, payday, and other factors that go into facing the biggest star in the sport. Add to that McGregor’s brash persona and relentless trash talk.

Another factor that makes the fight extremely difficult for his opponents is the overwhelming support McGregor receives from his home country of Ireland. Irish fans flock by the masses to support their national sporting icon wherever the fight may be. In most cases, it makes the fighter at home feel like they’re fighting in enemy territory, which can be extremely daunting psychologically.

In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto, Dustin Poirier spoke about Irish fans and if he expects them to be present in numbers at UFC 264. He said, “They were in Abu Dhabi, of course, they’re going to be there. Oh, come on, you’re not? (expecting Irish fans in Las Vegas). I was blown away when I would go for weigh-ins in Abu Dhabi and they’re holding the Irish flag and chanting and stuff. I’m like my goodness this guy has a country behind him for real.”

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Will a full house at UFC 264 be an advantage for Conor McGregor over Dustin Poirier?

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Conor McGregor performs the best under the brightest lights. ‘The Notorious’ is unfazed by pressure and huge crowds. He almost uses it as fuel to put on an excellent performance. For his last fight against Dustin Poirier, there were only a few thousand fans in attendance. However, this time around, at UFC 264, the T-Mobile Arena will be jam-packed with a full capacity crowd.

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Most of the fans in the Arena will be cheering on McGregor as opposed to Dustin Poirier. ‘The Diamond’ admitted that the scale of the event got to him in the first fight and he was like a deer in headlights. This time around a lot has changed and Poirier has matured enough to not let external factors affect him. Although McGregor will be the favorite amongst the fans on the night, it is highly unlikely that it will affect ‘The Diamond’.

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Kevin Binoy is an MMA author at EssentiallySports. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Fergusson College and has been covering sports professionally for over two years. Besides working with the MMA writing team, Kevin is a core member of the organization's web stories team and is responsible for delivering engaging MMA web stories.

“This Guy Has a Country Behind Him”- Dustin Poirier Shocked by Irish Support for Conor McGregor

Will a full house at UFC 264 be an advantage for Conor McGregor over Dustin Poirier?

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