The UFC 264 Pre-Fight Press Conference took place earlier tonight (Jul. 8), and we’ve got a full recap for you on the night’s festivities.
Here’s a look inside the T-Mobile Arena, moments before the entrance of UFC 264 main eventers Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
And here’s a look at the fighters making their entrances.
During McGregor’s entrance, he took the liberty of snatching Poirier’s hot sauce from the stage and proving the audience with freebies via some deep tosses reminiscent of his water-bottle-throwing days.
Opening Remarks
In answering the first question, Dustin Poirier was asked if this challenge was different because of the larger magnitude surrounding this fight in front of a sold-out arena and the aura McGregor brings into big fights. The former interim lightweight champion dismissed this notion.
“For me, the aura’s not there anymore. Very dangerous fighter sitting right here for sure, no doubt, but I see a man. You guys in the crowd, cheer it up. Have fun. But I see a man right here in front of me that I defeated and I know I can defeat again.”
Midway through Poirier’s response to another question, McGregor decided to interject with his own opening remarks:
“You’re getting walked like a dog in that Octagon on Saturday night!”
“Jolie’s Wife”
Shortly after promising to walk Poirier like a dog, McGregor decided to throw some more insults his way, including making references to Dustin Poirier’s wife, Jolie Poirier. Only according to McGregor, she isn’t really Poirier’s “wife” at all.
“You’re only a little bitch! Your wife is your husband! You’re only a little bitch of a thing, a silly little hillbilly,” McGregor said with venom in his voice.
At this point, McGregor tried and failed to get a “Jolie’s wife” chant started. A stoic Poirier was not impressed:
Vintage McGregor Predictions
Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson made another surprise press-conference appearance with a question for Conor McGregor.
The former NFL Pro Bowler wanted McGregor to assure him that he was a safe bet to make over Dustin Poirier. McGregor responded without delay.
“I’m a lock, a cert. I’m gonna kill this man.”
The superstar would later vow to outdo what many consider to be his greatest career performance, his TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez in Madison Square Garden at UFC 205 to become the first simultaneous two-division champion in company history.
“That night was the single greatest performance in UFC history, widely regarded, the night I won the second world title in Madison Square Garden. This performance Saturday night I’m gonna top it.”
Poirier Dishes Out A Little Trash Talk Of His Own
When McGregor was asked why he went from cordial in the lead-up to their sequel fight to the trash-talking McGregor of old that was on the stage at present, Poirier interjected with the following answer:
“Because he got knocked the fuck out…not McGregor Fast, McGregor Sleep.”
Poirier also threatened to slap McGregor up if he had any funny ideas about getting physical on stage.
The Man With The Pink Suit
Then, there was this guy. This gentleman you see above began his question by pointing out that McGregor hadn’t won a fight since Barack Obama was president. As he was pressing on to ask why should anyone believe Saturday will be different, McGregor spoke over him with the following remarks:
“Shut your mouth! I’ll go down and smash your nose in, you little rat!”
“It’s one more fight I won than your little sissy ass!”
Face-Off
Here’s a look at the face-off that took place to conclude the spirited press conference.
Post-Conference Reaction
After the press conference, a reporter caught up with McGregor to ask if he saw anything in Poirier during their face-off, to which McGregor offered a brief response.
ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto posted a reactionary poll to get a pulse on who the MMA community thought “won” the press conference. As of this writing, with roughly 20,000 votes in, Poirier pulled off the “upset,” with 51.6% of the votes going in his favor.
UFC 264 Pre-Press Conference Highlights
You can check out the official highlights from the UFC 264 Pre-Fight Press Conference below.
Finally, if you want to watch the full UFC 264 Pre-Fight Press Conference, you can do so right here.
What are your thoughts and takeaways from the UFC 264 Pre-Fight Press Conference?
