It’s finally Conor McGregor fight week again and as you could imagine, the hostilities are already beginning to ramp up.

On Saturday, McGregor will face Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 264. The two have met twice before, with dramatically different outcomes. In their first fight, back in 2014, McGregor was the brash upstart taking on the established name, and using his trademark McGregor trash talk, he got under Poirier’s skin and knocked out “The Diamond” in the first round. In their rematch seven years later, things were much different. Both established and accomplished veterans, McGregor and Poirier entered the bout with total positivity and mutual admiration and this time, it was Poirier who knocked McGregor out. Now, as we head into the final fight of this trilogy, the dynamic has once again gotten chippy.

Though he was extremely respectful in the immediate aftermath of UFC 257, in the lead up to this fight, McGregor has shown some flashes of his old personality, most recently by suggesting that if Poirier wrestles in the trilogy fight he will be “a dusty b*tch.” Last week, Poirier responded to McGregor’s chirping by saying that it “reeks of insecurity,” which prompted a scathing response from McGregor. Now, just a few days away from their fight, the former champ-champ has promised to make Poirier eat his words.

“He talks some amount lately,” McGregor said on Instagram Live (h/t The Mac Life). “He’s going to pay for that, that’s for sure. It’s not going to be nice.”

That’s good news for McGregor fans as the star fighter has been on a rough run lately, losing three of his past four fights. As a result, questions of motivation have begun to swirl around McGregor and following UFC 257, McGregor’s team suggested that “The Notorious” had overlooked Poirier, focusing more on a boxing match against Manny Pacquiao that was rumored to be next in line for the former champ-champ. Now though, having been knocked out for the first time in MMA, McGregor says he is solely focused on the task at hand this week and he’s feeling better than ever.

“I’ve got Tristan Kennedy with me, top nutritionist. Has me in the best shape of my life,” Conor said. “The most energy I’ve ever had coming into a weight cut. Weight is on point, it’s only what, a little bit over 24 hours before the fight. Where Abu Dhabi was almost three days. So that’s going to be in my favor and I’m more excited about it, excited to get on those scales...

“I’ve been busy flat out putting the work in. Full focus, fully immersed in mixed martial arts, it’s been nothing but mixed martial arts. So I’m ready to put on a show.”

UFC 264 takes place this Saturday, July 10, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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VIDEO STEW

UFC 264 Countdown.

2021 Mid-Year Awards.

Every Dustin Poirier finish.

BT Sport makes the best promos.

This is also very cool.

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LISTEN UP

On To The Next One. 2021 mid-year awards show.

Severe MMA. Discussing UFC 264 in exhaustive detail.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Fourth of July celebrations.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Diego Ferreira (17-4) vs. Grant Dawson (17-1); UFC Fight Night, Oct. 2.

Ludovit Klein (17-3) vs. Nate Landwehr (14-4); UFC Fight Night, Oct. 16.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Conor McGregor really is just B.J. Penn v.2.0.

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

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EXIT POLL

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