Dustin Poirier, the man who has shared the octagon with Conor McGregor three times, and Michael Chandler, the one who would have loved to be chosen as the Irishman’s comeback opponent, have defended “The Notorious” after how things played out on July 11.
This past weekend at UFC 329, the Dubliner returned to the octagon after a five-year layoff to run it back with Max Holloway, an opponent whom he had beaten 13 years ago by unanimous decision. However, this time, McGregor lost in Round 1 by TKO after he injured his right knee while throwing a roundhouse kick, after which he was struggling to stand or even move and trade. Thus, referee Mike Beltran decided to stop the contest after just 69 seconds.
Some fans and spectators believe McGregor came inside the octagon with a busted-up knee. Some believe the Irishman is done with MMA and wants to be done with the last 2 bouts of his UFC contract, and thus chose to show up, get the paycheck with a few seconds of action, and had no intention of fighting a real fight and winning.
Conor McGregor’s former opponent, Dustin Poirier, with whom the Irishman has a strained relationship, has defended McGregor despite the bad blood. Earlier today, during a sit-down with Teddy Atlas, “The Diamond” opined that McGregor’s game plan was stupid and that he should not have tried to throw such a crazy strike straight away. Poirier also added that McGregor is a “dirtbag,” but can never be labelled a “quitter”:
“I just don’t think he’s a quitter like that. I say a lot of bad stuff about him, but a quitter, I’m not sure. He’s a real competitor and wants to win. And I doubt he needed the money… It’s not like he was showing up for a paycheck.”
Check out Dustin Poirier’s comments about Conor McGregor below:
Poirier also added in another interview that he would love to ‘come back and whip’ “The Notorious” again whenever the latter is ready and has healed up.
Michael Chandler also defends Conor McGregor
Michael Chandler has also come to Conor McGregor’s defense amid speculation within the MMA community that the Irishman entered the octagon carrying a pre-existing injury at UFC 329. Earlier today, “Iron” said:
“One thing [Conor] is not, he’s not a quitter, he’s not a bamboozler.”
Chandler and McGregor were scheduled to headline UFC 303 in 2024 after serving as opposing head coaches in TUF 31 in 2023. However, the Irishman had to pull out due to a toe injury, and in 2026, the UFC brass was no longer interested in booking McGregor vs. Chandler again. However, Chandler still hopes he and McGregor will fight someday, and he’s excited to see how things play out.
“I believe [Conor] wants to fight me, I believe he tried to fight me. I know everybody is disappointed, but keep on watching. This ain’t the last you’re going to see of Conor. I’m excited to see how it all plays out.”
Check out Michael Chandler’s comments about Conor McGregor below:
Meanwhile, the former UFC double champ has already issued a statement in which he revealed that he has to go under the knife to treat the UFC 329 injury, and after recovery, he would enter training camp again and would then love to enter the octagon the final time for the last bout of his UFC contract.
