Although he was 35 minutes late, Conor McGregor wasted no time getting the crowd amped at the UFC 264 press conference. McGregor made his way to the stage first, looking sharp in a purple Bespoke suit. But don’t let the smooth taste fool you. The sharp outfit didn’t stop the former champion from being the physical aggressor from the start of the event.
As soon as Dustin Poirier stepped on the stage, McGregor was quick to lunge at him, causing UFC president Dana White and the UFC security team to step in between the two men. Once order was restored, it was Poirier who threw the first jab when asked if he felt there was still an aura surrounding the Irish fighter.
“No, not anymore,” Poirier began. “The aura is not here anymore. Very dangerous fighter sitting right here for sure. No doubt. But I see a man. You know, you guys in the crowd, cheer it up, have fun. But I see a man here in front of me that I’ve defeated, and I know I can defeat again.”
As Poirier attempted to answer another question, McGregor cut him off with the first, of what would be many, insults of the night. “You’re getting walked like a dog in that Octagon Saturday night,” McGregor said.
Conor McGregor introduces a new chant at the UFC 264 press conference
After calling Poirier a “b*tch” and a “silly little hillbilly,” McGregor dug deep into his bag of insults to bring in other members of the Poirier family. McGregor went on to call Jolie Poirier, Poirier’s wife, his husband in an attempt to emasculate the Louisiana native. Getting no response out of his opponent, McGregor then introduced a new chant that caught on with the crowd faster than Donald Trump’s infamous “lock her up.”
“Jolie’s wife, Jolie’s wife,” McGregor chanted. And the crowd enthusiastically followed along.
The audience was electric and leaned heavily in favor of McGregor. Hanging on to every word he spoke, they cheered when he picked up the mic and booed when Poirier spoke. Poirer would get just one other good verbal jab in against McGregor. A reporter asked McGregor he had changed his attitude towards Poirier, but before he could respond, Poirier answered the question.
“Because he got knocked the f**k out,” Poirier said. “It’s not McGregor fast, it’s McGregor sleep.”
That would be the last jab Poirier would get in, as it is McGregor that is the king of insults. And he did not disappoint, giving his fans the cheeky one-liners that were absent from his last press conference in Abu Dhabi. When asked if he thought he could get into Poirier’s head as he did in their first meeting, McGregor responded in the way he only knows how.
“I’m going to go through his head,” McGregor said. “Put holes in it and take it off his shoulders. That’s the goal.”
“Mystic Mac” did not attend the UFC 264 press conference
Apparently, “Mystic Mac” had prior commitments and was unable to attend the UFC 264 press conference. Unlike previous pressers, McGregor did not predict the round and manner by which he would finish the fight.
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When he was asked directly to provide a prediction, McGregor said, “I’m going to take him out on a stretcher. He’s going out on a stretcher in this fight.” But, when he was asked specifically the manner in which he’d put Poirier on a stretcher and in which round, McGregor did not provide a prediction. Instead, McGregor said, “you’ll have to pay for that,” implying that the only way to know is to purchase the UFC 264 pay-per-view Saturday, July 10, 2021.
The UFC 264 press conference started with fireworks and ended with fireworks
McGregor, the ultimate prizefighter, understands what makes headlines but more importantly, what sells fights. After 25 minutes of hurling insults at Poirier and giving fans the snarky oneliners they crave, McGregor made sure to end the event exactly how it started, attempting to incite a physical altercation with Poirier.
As White announced the end of the questions, he asked the audience to hold tight while they cleared the stage for a final face-off. After the tables were moved away and staff took their places, McGregor did what we all probably expected him to do. As the face-off was about to end, McGregor threw a right low kick that barely missed Poirier. As the arena went wild, the two men were separated to end the event.
Whatever happens Saturday night, McGregor did his part to ensure that anyone watching the UFC 264 press conference walked away feeling that purchasing the pay-per-view was the best decision they made this week.
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