Artem Lobov thinks longtime training partner and good friend Conor McGregor might have underestimated Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) evened the score when he avenged his 2014 TKO loss to McGregor by scoring a second-round knockout in their rematch this past January. McGregor had some success on the feet early, but Poirier was able to mix things up with his wrestling and batter McGregor’s calf with kicks, which ultimately led to the finish. McGregor and Poirier are set for their trilogy on July 10 at UFC 264, and judging by the way the first fight went in 2014, Lobov thinks McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) may have undermined Poirier’s improvements as a fighter. “To be honest, it’s not even that he wasn’t fully focused or anything, he just probably didn’t give Dustin the respect that he deserved,” Lobov told BJPenn.com . “He was more thinking about boxing Manny (Pacquiao) straight after the fight and was already getting ready for that because he saw that as the challenge, and Dustin was just going to be a warmup fight
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Artem Lobov: Conor McGregor didn’t give Dustin Poirier ‘respect he deserved’ in rematch – MMA Junkie