UFC 264: Conor McGregor has ‘a lot more at stake’ than Dustin Poirier, says Brendan Fitzgerald
- ‘If Dustin loses, he’s still gonna be right there in the top five, and able to fight for a title in short order,’ says UFC commentator Fitzgerald
- ‘Push comes to shove, it seems to be more important that Conor would win, in terms of career trajectory and the questions it would pose’
Conor McGregor might just have put himself in a must-win situation against Dustin Poirier, says UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald.
The first double champ in promotional history, McGregor (22-5) has only one win since November 2016. But the Irish icon will step back into the Octagon at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for this weekend’s UFC 264 headliner to try to exact revenge after Poirier (27-6) knocked him out in January in Abu Dhabi.
It’s potentially the biggest fight of the year when it comes to hype. But putting aside the beef and theatrics, this trilogy rubber match could have long-lasting consequences for “The Notorious”.
“It’s such an important fight [for both],” Fitzgerald told SCMP MMA. “But push comes to shove, it seems to be more important that Conor would win. Because if Conor doesn’t win, then he’s outside the top five.
“He has to main event every fight he’s in of a pay-per-view. He’s that big of a star. He commands that much money, value to the company. If you’re the seventh-ranked lightweight, should you be headlining a pay-per-view?
“No other fighter would do that. If you’re No 8, you would headline a Fight Night. Maybe on ESPN, maybe one of the bigger shows, or you’d be a huge co-main event like Nate Diaz was, because you’re that big of a star.
