Manager explains how Dustin Poirier 'bet on himself' in Conor McGregor rivalry

Yahoo

3 days ago

Dustin Poirier has had many magical moments in his MMA career, but it's hard to overlook his rivalry with Conor McGregor as a definitive portion.
Ahead of UFC 318 on Saturday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), where Poirier will compete for the final time in his career against Max Holloway in a lightweight trilogy bout for the BMF title, it has been a time of reflection around the career of "The Diamond."
There have been many trials and tribulations since his MMA debut in May 2009. When felt his ceiling was hit when he faltered against McGregor in their first meeting at UFC 178 in September 2014 when, after a heated build up, he lost by first-round TKO as "The Notorious" made his assent to superstar status.
Years later and in a different division, Poirier got another opportunity. The pair had a rematch at UFC 257 in January 2021, and according to Poirier's longtime manager Rob Roveta, that was an incredibly important and defining moment.
"I would say that's the most special fight of his career, and my favorite in terms of the mental mountain he had to climb," Roveta told MMA Junkie. "The hurdle you have to overcome to get one back like that against a guy that has been talking sh*t to you for years and talked sh*t to you back then and still doing it now. It kind of felt the same way with Khabib (Nurmagomedov at UFC 242), not quite as much, but he pulled up on a yacht. I don't think they applied the same COVID rules to him as they did us. It felt a little one-sided to us. But in that fight, I don't think he gave a sh*t. He was going to win."
Poirier, 36, had an edge around him going into the UFC 257 rematch with McGregor that only comes out in rare instances. In addition to just wanting to get redemption on a significant loss, Poirier and his team were forced to make a roll of the dice after negotiations.
Despite headlining a massive numbered card against the biggest star the sport has ever seen, Poirier was not compensated with pay-per-view points or many extra financial perks. All those were factored in to a trilogy clause, where if Poirier won, he would get a rubber match with McGregor right away and all the upside that came with it.
It wasn't the ideal scenario, Roveta said, but one that added even more drive and motivation.
"It certainly felt like the bet was against us and they looked at him as a stepping stone to far greater plans (for McGregor) – at least that's the way I looked at it," Roveta said. "The negotiations were tricky and he definitely bet on himself and obviously the back side of that worked out greater than we could've imagined, so it all worked out. But it was far different than you would imagine.
"Everyone looking from the outside in, it's always, 'Oh, there's his shot. He's going to fight the biggest superstar and there will be a windfall of money and life is going to change forever.' Well, I can tell you the economics don't look like that. It's not like that for that particular fight. It's like, 'Hey, prove yourself and once you do, you can have the backside and everything you wanted.' But you have to do that, and it's not an easy mountain to climb."
Poirier climbed that mountain in remarkable fashion. He knocked out McGregor in the second round at UFC 257, then won the trilogy six months later by first-round TKO at UFC 264 in July 2021 after McGregor broke his leg.
It was just one of many high-profile fights and rivalries Poirier had throughout his career. The American achieved great things in his career, and although he went 0-3 in his chances for undisputed UFC titles, he can exit his career on an ultimate high at UFC 318.
Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) is already 2-0 against Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC), but will look to extend that further while simultaneously taking the BMF belt from his Hawaiian foe.
No matter what happens, though, Roveta said Poirier exceeded all expectations that were mapped up when their working relationship began just a few fights into his MMA career.
"When the goal and the vision was set out was one thing, but the reality was bigger," Roveta said. "I think the only thing we did is we shot too low, in hindsight. It's easy to say now, but ultimately the goals we set out, we were thinking too small for a while. He's a much bigger superstar than I think we could've envisioned at the time."
To hear Roveta discuss the highs and lows of Poirier's career in more detail, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn in the video above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: How Dustin Poirier 'bet on himself' in Conor McGregor rivalry