There is at least one notable figure who thinks the behavior Conor McGregor displayed after losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 was praiseworthy.
Leading up to the trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor at UFC 264, it was clear that the trash-talking McGregor of old was back in full effect. The guy pretty much ran the gauntlet of trash talk: guaranteeing an easy victory, vowing to turn his opponent into a corpse, light-hearted taunting, and the secret ace in the hole for the most daring of trash-talkers: bringing the opponent’s family into it. You name it, McGregor said it.
For the most part, the public chalked it all up to McGregor reverting to vintage form: playing mind games with his opponent to gain the psychological edge ahead of their bout. The operative word there is “ahead.” Once the fight is over, the combatants are expected to display some degree of sportsmanship, or at least not escalate matters after they already had an opportunity to settle it in the cage.
However, when it was McGregor’s turn to talk in the Octagon after losing to Poirier, he allowed his rage to boil over onto the microphone, including, once again, bringing Dustin Poirier’s wife into it and calling her a “hoe” for good measure.
Dustin Poirier was not blameless on the “non-escalation” front, as he did call McGregor a “dirtbag” and also taunted McGregor with his own version of the billy strut to celebrate his victory. But one thing he didn’t do was insult McGregor’s family. On the contrary, he called them “beautiful.”
Ronda Rousey Liked What She Saw From McGregor’s Post-Fight Antics
All things considered, Conor McGregor’s post-fight behavior wasn’t exactly a good look for him in the eyes of many. Then again, not many people have the mindset of fellow UFC legend “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.
The polarizing UFC trailblazer took to Twitter the day after UFC 264 to extend her praise for how McGregor handled himself as a businessman and a promoter immediately following his loss to Poirier in the event’s headliner.
“I’m amazed that as soon as you hit the ground you were already promoting the next fight @TheNotoriousMMA – I def wouldn’t have had the mind to do that. The other fighters, @ufc and media are lucky to have you.”
Big words of praise for Ronda Rousey to The Notorious Mac here. Rousey has also been known to be someone who disregarded norms of conventional sportsmanship and etiquette prior to or after a fight. She was known to do things her way and, to paraphrase her iconic walk-out music, she never gave a damn about her bad reputation.
After McGregor had time to cool off, he took to social media to issue a statement that seems to mirror what Rousey had to say. While the Irishman of course did not say he was only promoting a fight, he did say that we need ‘people like him.’
The manner in which this type of “people” should be viewed will always be hotly debated whenever it is about figures as powerful, famous, and oftentimes polarizing as Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey. But at the end of the day, as long as they are being debated, that means they’re being talked about. And there’s always a potential win to be cashed in somewhere in that very fact.
What do you think of Ronda Rousey’s praise for Conor McGregor’s behavior after his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264?
