Morning report: Georges St-Pierre suggests what Conor McGregor needs to do to recover from Dustin Poirier’s defeat

It’s very difficult to catch Georges St-Pierre off guard, but at UFC 257 Dustin Poirier did just that.

St-Pierre is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and known for his analytical approach to fighting. Last year, St-Pierre acquired this experience and became an analyst for the Quebec RDS (Reseau des Sports) broadcast team. But as good as St-Pierre is, he admits he didn’t see Poirier beat Conor McGregor last weekend.

“I thought Conor was going to win and I was wrong,” St-Pierre told Michael Bisping at Bisping’s Believe me podcast. “I was very surprised at how Poirier (maintained) his composure under pressure. I think one of Conor’s greatest qualities is that he oppresses his opponents with his pressure, with his presence, with all the information he gives to his opponent’s brain. All those things he does, the kicks, the conversations, all of that. He outdoes his opponents and many of them, they give up under pressure. But Poirier kept an eye out and was a real test of how good he is. It was fantastic. It will now be very interesting to see how Conor can recover from this. “

Poirier’s victory was the biggest of his career and undoubtedly McGregor’s biggest defeat. It is the first time that McGregor has been knocked out cleanly and left “Notorious” without a clear path forward. A trilogy fight with Poirier is a possibility, as is a third fight with his original rival, Nate Diaz; however, both fights present the dangerous possibility of suffering another defeat and many fans are beginning to question whether the end is near for the sport’s biggest star. But not St-Pierre.

“I believe Conor can recover from that defeat,” said St-Pierre. “He’s the type of fighter, I think, he feeds on confidence. When he is confident, this is how he performs best. He likes to act with confidence (pantomime the Billionaire Strut), pretend until he succeeds, he plays a role that he is very confident. Perhaps, deep down, he is very scared, but I believe he feeds on that, that confidence, of being loved or hated by the fans, of the attention. Now it will be interesting to see how he gets back from this. I believe in Conor. I believe he will come back from this. I believe he is able to overcome this obstacle. “

McGregor’s return is already a hot topic in conversations in the MMA community. After the fight, fans immediately began to notice that McGregor is now 3-3 since leaving the featherweight division, with a technical knockout loss in boxing added for good measure. Some are suggesting that McGregor should return to 145 pounds, others that McGregor needs a change of field and still others that there is nothing McGregor can do. That the game just went through it. For St-Pierre, it’s all straightforward: McGregor needs to change his mindset in the same way that St-Pierre did after the defeat to Matt Serra.

“He needs (to be reborn),” said St-Pierre. “He needs to change things in his training and in his life that he believes were the causes of his failure. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, as long as he believes. So, in my case, for example, when I lost to Matt Serra, I struggled to believe that I lost to Matt Serra because I underestimated him. Maybe I wasn’t scared enough, maybe I didn’t put as much into training as I should have, that’s what I tried to force myself to believe. It may not be true. But the important thing (part) is that he believes it so that he can build his confidence out of it, because he believes it. Does not matter.

“He needs to find out what he thinks he did wrong in the previous preparation before the fight, whether in training, in relation to life or whatever, and not make the same mistake twice. It doesn’t matter if most people believe it’s bullshit, as long as he believes it himself. His confidence will grow from there and he will be able to return a better Conor McGregor, at least as good as he. “

St-Pierre often credits his defeat to Matt Serra as making him a better fighter and it certainly seems to have been the case. After that fight, St-Pierre never lost a fight again. For his part, McGregor has already publicly suggested that the lack of recent activity played a role in his performance and hopes to compete more often in 2021. And if St-Pierre is right, it may be all that McGregor needs to get back on top.

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$$$. UFC 257 reportedly sells 1.6 million pay-per-view purchases worldwide.

Funky. Ben Askren will fight Jake Paul in a professional boxing match on April 17.

Fight. Charles Oliveira: Dustin Poirier ‘the fight ahead’ for the UFC belt could lead Khabib Nurmagomedov to return.

Reasons. Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping disagree about the reason for Conor McGregor’s defeat at UFC 257.

Catch weight. Georges St-Pierre discusses lost fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

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What the hell.

UFC 257 Fight Motion.

Bellator’s best ground and pound finishes, part two.

Dustin Poirier in the first shot.

Askren about Jake Paul.

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Jack Slack. Seeing UFC 257 and how Poirier beat McGregor.

Anik & Florian. To recap UFC 257.

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This is going to be terrible.

This one. Do it.

I accept that bet.

I spent 10 minutes and I’m still not sure I understand what he’s trying to say here.

Fight poster.

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Darren Till (18-3-1) vs. Marvin Vettori (16-3-1); UFC Fight Night, April 10.

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Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow.

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