Even though Dustin Poirier doesn’t understand the hype around his UFC 178 opponent, he doesn’t seem to be affected by it.
The Louisianan takes on Conor McGregor this weekend, and says that he understands he is going up against the UFC’s ‘chosen one.’
“Yeah, they’ve given him a lot of hype and have been pushing him and all that, and I’m not sure if it’s because of him representing such a big market in Ireland or because they really might think they have something with this guy,” Poirier told MMAFighting.com. “But man, I’ve built where I’m at with my bare hands, you know? And I take pride in that. And when they do that to guys…I’ve been busting my ass to be where I’m at. I live this life.
“Then again, hey, that’s fighting, man. I get a chance to go out there and beat him. I’m not going to sit here and whine about it. I can’t change the fact that the UFC is doing that, or that they really like this guy. All I can do is prepare to whip his ass.”
Despite great success in the UFC and boasting an 8-2 record, Poirier seems almost overlooked in the match.
“It’s like, man, are you serious? Who is this guy?” Poirier told MMAFighting.com. “He’s fought a couple of guys, but I’ve fought a lot of guys, better guys. But you know what, it doesn’t matter. I know who I am, and everybody’s going to find out again.”
