Dustin Poirier is the type of fighter that likes to get down and dirty. He's willing to go places most aren't ready to go to secure a win. Poirier feels Conor McGregor isn't cut from the same cloth.
Poirier squares off with McGregor for the second time at Saturday's UFC 257. He and his head coach at American Top Team, Mike Brown, think McGregor has a "weakness in conditioning" that was evident in his fourth-round loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. Poirier wants to drag the fight into deep waters because he feels he has more heart and determination than McGregor, which "The Diamond" thinks will be the determining factor.
"Of course, I would love to go in there and get it over with early (and) not take unnecessary damage," Poirier told MMA Junkie. "But I just think a fight that plays into will and want and a position where we have to dig down and suffer, I think I can suffer more.
"The plan is to beat Conor McGregor by any means necessary: Blood and guts and fight for the world title again."
Poirier and McGregor fought over six years ago at UFC 178. The Irishman won inside two minutes to vault himself into featherweight title contention and put the MMA world on notice that he's a legitimate contender. Now the sequel is taking place one weight class and ten pounds higher.
Revenge is the last thing on Poirier's mind. He's looking to step into the cage, beat McGregor, and get all the perks that come with being successful against the sport's marquee name.
"It's not about revenge and payback," Poirier told MMA Junkie on Monday. "It's about prosperity, about putting my family in position to be successful. It's about raising awareness to (The Good Fight) Foundation and helping bring awareness to people in need. It's a lot of things. It's about being the world champion. It's about getting closer to that title. But it's not about revenge. It's about work and grind. That's what it's about: success."