POIRIER EYES LONG DUST UP
American’s camp doubt Mcgregor has stamina for distance fight
DUSTIN POIRIER could stun Conor Mcgregor if he survives the Dubliner’s early attacks at UFC 257 on Saturday night.
That is the view of the American’s head coach Mike Brown, who believes his fighter’s chances of glory will only increase the longer the fight goes on.
It took Mcgregor, 32, just one minute and 46 seconds to defeat Poirier when they first clashed in September 2014 – and surviving the early barrage will be a necessity at the weekend if Poirier is to produce a shock result.
There have been question marks over Mcgregor’s conditioning and stamina throughout his UFC career and the Poirier camp believe that is an area they can exploit.
“Anybody that knows this sport will realise quickly that the longer it goes, the better it is for Dustin,” said Brown.
“Conor’s obviously struggled with conditioning. This is not his strong suit.
“Obviously he’s got great timing, good power and good precision, a very good striker, but we’ve seen him more than once struggle with conditioning, and this is also Dustin’s strong suit. He’s got some of the best natural conditioning I’ve ever seen.
“He could be drinking beers and eating cheeseburgers and he can come off the couch and be sparring with world-class fighters that are peaking and he’s in better shape than them.
“He’s definitely got some gifts and a talent there, and it’s one of his gifts.
“Mcgregor always comes with something new and something fresh and something different. Honestly, we see some technical holes in the game,” added Brown.
“But most importantly, we see a lot of what everybody sees – he definitely has a weakness in conditioning. That’s something we’d be smart to exploit if possible.”
Meanwhile, professional boxer Dylan Moran (below) has detailed his fierce sparring sessions with Mcgregor in the lead-up to the UFC ace’s latest fight.
Mcgregor revealed on social media he was left bloodied by the Waterford puncher in their intense training bouts and Moran says he was impressed by the former two-weight UFC champion.
The 26-year-old reckons Poirier does not stand any chance when they take to the octagon at the Etihad Arena.
“Being around Conor was just amazing,” said
Moran.
“The sparring was the best sparring I’ve ever had, I was just really enjoying it.
“When two fighters just gel... it was just good pace, the shots were good, the flow was good, the energy around the whole spar was just amazing.
“Conor is firing on all cylinders – the guy is special.
“Like he said himself, he’s creating a masterpiece and I think he’s just going to take Dustin Poirier apart.”
And Moran is backing Mcgregor to finish Poirier early.
He predicted: “I’d be putting my money on the first round. “I’ve been studying Dustin myself, I really read into things, and I just think Dustin is handmade for Conor’s best shots.
“He’s just going to walk on to them and there’s no better man to land them than Conor Mcgregor.
“I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it’s over in the first round.”