Dustin Poirier is throwing down some serious shade, telling us point blank that he thinks Conor McGregor is flat-out scamming fans, and honestly, the man's got receipts. Just this past Saturday at UFC 329, McGregor made his "return" after five whole years away, only to lose in a 69-second TKO due to an apparent knee injury. But hold up, online speculation is going wild that he was already hurt *before* the fight, with theories swirling that the UFC pushed him to fight anyway because of the massive betting handle and the insane ticket sales. That fight pulled in the UFC's largest gate in history, by a *wide margin*, hitting a staggering $26.4 million at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
More Than Just a "Dirtbag"
Poirier doesn't just call McGregor a "dirtbag," he genuinely believes the UFC's top draw has fleeced fans too many times. Think about this: back in 2024, the UFC announced McGregor's big comeback for UFC 303 in Vegas. Tickets went on sale, pulling in a gate near $16 million, only for McGregor to pull out with a broken toe about two weeks before the fight. Seriously? Fans bought tickets, traveled, planned, and he bails last minute. This isn't a one-off, is it? Poirier's seen this firsthand, holding two wins over McGregor, including the one in 2021 where the Irishman broke his leg, starting that five-year layoff in the first place."How Many Times Can You Cry Wolf?"
Poirier thinks if McGregor tries to come back from this latest injury, it's just another sham from both McGregor and the UFC. He told boxing analyst Teddy Atlas on "The Fight" podcast, "Of course the world would watch him fight Diaz for the trilogy. The world would watch anything he does, especially in combat sports." But the real talk? Poirier questions the extent of the latest injury. If it's a torn ACL after five years away, that's another year sidelined. "At his age, I think he's done. If he tore his ACL, he's done. He'll never come back the same." That was the big question going into this fight, right? Could he pull it together after that horrific 2021 injury? Seems like Poirier thinks the answer is a resounding no. Beyond the injuries, Poirier clearly has no love lost for McGregor, who was notoriously unkind to Poirier and his family during their fights. The "cry wolf" line from Poirier cuts deep, asking "How many times can you cry wolf before the fans are like, 'We're not breaking (UFC) ticket gate records anymore. We're not coming. We're not flying across the world to watch you fight. We know what we get with you: a flash... a flash in the pan.'" He's asking the question we're all thinking: How many more times can this go down before people start moving on and McGregor's hype just doesn't hit the same anymore? After that last 69-second TKO, with all the speculation, you gotta wonder if Poirier's right.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.