Former UFC welterweight title challenger and an MMA analyst, Dan Hardy, recently predicted that the match between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier would likely be a very competitive one. Hardy believes McGregor has the upper hand.
“I think it’s a very competitive fight. And the only reason I’d lean slightly in McGregor’s direction is because we’ve seen him regroup and change,” Hardy said.
The changes, the shifts, the regrouping in Poirier’s career has always been down to will, and determination, and ‘I’m just going to double my work rate and be twice as conditioned and be more aggressive’. Whereas McGregor, he’s found technical solutions to problems.”
Rewind the clocks ⏳
— UFC (@ufc) November 23, 2020
⏮ Look back on @DustinPoirier vs @TheNotoriousMMA from #UFC178 now. #UFC257 pic.twitter.com/fgl3FuQ60l
“So, I can see him; and you know that’s burning in the back of his (Conor McGregor’s) mind,” he said.
“He can be sitting in his fancy shorts on his sunbed, drinking Proper Twelve all he likes, but every morning he wakes up and looks himself in the mirror, he remembers that moment where he’s lined up against the fence on the floor with Poirier walking away.
“That’s the kind of thing that eats away at him. And I can only imagine McGregor’s got a thousand and one different ways to deal with Poirier.
“I still think it’s very, very competitive, but I’m leaning slightly towards McGregor just based on how he approaches the game.”
SCORE: EQUALED.
— UFC (@ufc) January 24, 2021
[ #UFC257 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/V7sOcRy1Uh
Dan also praised McGregor’s ability to be technically adept when faced with problems.
The analyst also advised the fighter to be determined fast in order to prepare for the tussle.
Read more: “He always gets knocked out and beaten”: Covington brands former teammate Poirier ‘a fake’