ABU DHABI – Conor McGregor’s fights mean a lot of money, not only for the Irish star himself, but also for his opponent.
For McGregor’s opponents, the excitement of being paired with the biggest draw in MMA history wears off when it comes time to conquer the task at hand, however, according to former UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
“The guys that Conor (is) fighting, nobody thinks, ‘I got Conor’s fight and I’m fine,'” Cormier said at a news conference ahead of UFC 257’s fight on Thursday. “These guys are too good. Because, ultimately, he is fighting the best of the best. “
McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) most recently fought at UFC 246 in January 2020 when he defeated ex-UFC lightweight contender Donald Cerrone by technical knockout in 40 seconds. Much was said later about how motivated Cerrone was to fight – especially when he entered the cage.
“The reality is that Donald Cerrone of the former would never have lost to Conor McGregor in (40) seconds,” said Cormier. “There was a time when Donald Cerrone said he was too small to fight at lightweight. He beat him at welterweight. Even for a longtime veteran like ‘Cowboy’, Conor McGregor’s appeal affected him. “
Cormier thinks that not all of McGregor’s opponents can be judged based on Cerrone’s performance. Going forward, the fights that await McGregor at the top of the division consist of opponents who know what is at stake, explained Cormier.
“You have to be talking about ‘Cowboy’ because I don’t think the guys he’s going to fight from now on will feel like, ‘Oh, the victory has already been won. I’m here with Conor McGregor ‘, ”said Cormier. “Because when you’re there with Conor, he’s trying to beat you. He’s not trying to let you win. He’s trying to take your head off. “
According to Cormier, Dustin Poirier, who faces McGregor at UFC 257 on Saturday, knows what he’s getting into. While Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) may not win, Cormier is confident that “O Diamante” will have a proper head on his shoulders.
“Dustin Poirier is not happy to be here,” said Cormier. “I saw Al Iaquinta say something like this for a while, ‘Dustin is showing a lot of respect.’ But that boy, man. This boy is from Lafayette, Louisiana, and is a dog. He will fight with all his heart. He may not win all the time, but you see Dustin fighting, he’s a disgusting son of a bitch, man. And he wants to fight and he appears. He will fight Conor to the best of his ability. I don’t know if he will win. But he will fight a lot with him. He’s going to fight him as hard as he can. “
UFC 257 takes place Saturday, at Etihad Arena, on Yas Island. The main card is broadcast on ESPN + pay-per-view after the preliminaries on ESPN / ESPN +.