Dominick Cruz believes Conor McGregor hasn’t exactly been gracious in defeat.
McGregor shared the Octagon with Poirier a third time this past Saturday night (July 10). The lightweight collision headlined UFC 264 under the bright light in Las Vegas. This was a trilogy bout as the score was 1-1 going into fight night. The fight ended at the conclusion of the first round via doctor’s stoppage as McGregor broke his tibia.
After the fight, McGregor blasted Poirier and called his wife, Jolie, a “little hoe.” Footage even surfaced of McGregor threatening to kill Dustin and Jolie in their sleep while making a gun sign.
During the UFC 264 post-fight show, Cruz expressed his belief that McGregor hasn’t handled his losses well (h/t ESPN MMA).
“After multiple losses like that, you tend to sit on your hands and shut up. We’re not seeing that. We’re not seeing the silence, we’re not seeing the humility… There’s a position where you get smashed sometimes and you have to accept that as a fighter. That is part of why we do martial arts, is to accept the losses and the wins and grow from them. When you don’t accept these losses, how do you grow? How do you fill the gap?”
Some believe that Cruz didn’t exactly handle his last defeat well. After being stopped by Henry Cejudo back in May 2020, “The Dominator” vehemently protested the stoppage and later accused referee Keith Petersen of smelling like booze and cigarettes.
McGregor has undergone surgery and says he’ll be on crutches for six weeks. UFC President Dana White feels Poirier vs. McGregor 4 makes sense once the “Notorious” one fully heals. In the meantime, White has committed to giving Poirier the next shot at the UFC lightweight title against champion Charles Oliveira.
