The Takedown | Is this the end of Conor McGregor? UFC’s biggest icon might have to swap title fights for money fights
- Irishman’s second straight loss to Dustin Poirier means the UFC’s quintessential superstar now has some soul-searching to do
- McGregor still has a more than viable alternative route: big money fights against other loudmouths
Dustin Poirier, who had just beaten the UFC’s biggest star for the second straight time, walked from the Octagon with a dismissive smirk on his face, while his wife Jolie – who had become the target of unacceptable vitriol from “The Notorious” – flipped him the bird in a “thug life” moment for the ages.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The UFC’s icon now a contender afterthought, and dare we say, looking washed up?
McGregor left on a stretcher in another allegorical image, and now the world’s highest-earning athlete of 2020 finds himself at a crossroads. The journey back to the lightweight title is now longer than ever, as Charles Oliveira and Poirier are likely to square off while McGregor recovers from an injury that could keep him out of action for a year.
The 33-year-old has surely watched the tape by now, and surely can’t deny the fact Poirier was getting the best of him. A second round would not have solved any problems for a fighter who was once feared, but is now questioned when it comes to skills, cardio and a ground game. McGregor is unlikely to beat Poirier if they fight for a fourth time, and if he somehow gets a shot at the belt against Oliveira, he may well be a heavy underdog.
