Dustin Poirier has now dropped his verdict on the longer term of Conor McGregor in MMA after the Irishman’s encounter with Max Holloway at UFC 329 earlier this month.
Conor McGregor had suffered back-to-back defeats to Dustin Poirier in 2021 before he returned to the octagon for UFC 329 on the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Poirier initially lost to McGregor at UFC 178 in 2014 after he suffered a first-round TKO defeat, but he walked away with the bragging rights within the UFC 257 rematch.
McGregor suffered a TKO loss within the second round of his follow-up encounter with Poirier before he sustained a leg break in the primary round of their trilogy fight at UFC 264.
What’s next for Conor McGregor after UFC 329?
‘Notorious’ suffered a serious knee injury moments into his comeback fight against Max Holloway.
Dustin Poirier questions how long Conor McGregor’s latest injury could set the UFC superstar back
Conor McGregor returned to the UFC after a five-year hiatus and the Irishman’s rematch with Max Holloway ended along with his third consecutive MMA defeat.
The ‘Notorious’ suffered a knee injury in the primary round of the five-round welterweight bout at UFC 329 and Holloway secured a TKO victory on the night.
The 38-year-old UFC legend has confirmed that he will likely be undergoing surgery on his knee, but McGregor has not ruled out a possible return to MMA in the longer term.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Dustin Poirier was asked if he could see McGregor returning and the ‘Diamond’ expressed his concerns across the injury.
“Bro, I used to be talking about it yesterday,” he said.
“I saw that he said it was a meniscus [tear] and ACL. He didn’t say the severity of it. He didn’t say if it was an entire tear, the ACL, what sort of tear of the meniscus [it was], , ‘cause I actually have torn meniscus.
“If it’s a certain sort of tear, you might have to have surgery or your knee keeps locking up. You recognize, if it’s a bucket tear, the cartilage folds over and gets caught.
“So, if it’s an entire ACL tear, , that’s going to be nine [or] 10 months, a 12 months out after just taking five years away.”
Can Conor McGregor 🇮🇪 overcome a five-year layoff to beat Max Holloway again?
Dustin Poirier does think that Conor McGregor will try to stage a comeback in MMA, despite his recent UFC setback
McGregor was left helpless within the early moments of the primary round against Holloway after his knee buckled following his first few high kicks within the UFC 329 contest.
Poirier, who retired in 2025, admitted that he does think McGregor will attempt to return to the UFC in the longer term, even when the prospects for the Irish superstar feel bleak.
“It’s tough to say,” he added.
“I don’t know the extent of the injuries, but when he has to take one other complete 12 months off, dude, at his age, it’s going to be tough to come back back and win.
Poirier then continued: “He could [come back], man. Yeah, he could.”
Poirier’s last outing within the octagon got here against Holloway and the 37-year-old American former MMA star fell short within the third round of their trilogy fight at UFC 318.
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