Paulie Malignaggi shares prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3

Paulie Malignaggi has shared his prediction for next weekend’s highly anticipated trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

McGregor (22-5 MMA) and Poirier (26-7 MMA) will collide in a rubber match on July 10, with the winner expected to be the first man to challenge newly crowned UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier split their first two encounters, with the Irishman winning their featherweight fight at UFC 178, and ‘The Diamond’ emerging victorious in their lightweight rematch at UFC 257.

Image Credit: @UFC on Twitter (photographer not listed)

Given the outcome in his most recent fight with ‘Notorious’, Poirier has had some choice words for the Irish star ahead of next weekend’s trilogy. According to former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi, the confidence being showcased by ‘The Diamond’ is well warranted, and he predicts Poirier will once again put McGregor away at UFC 264.

“See Conor’s fans… It’s like it is always win-win for Conor (McGregor). It is amazing what he has done really. You know, he can win and people will be like ‘Oh he’s back’, and then he can get his ass kicked and people will say ‘Oh he’s not focused’. It’s always win-win for Conor. So does it really matter? I mean the guy could lose every fight and they will all still have an excuse for him.”

Paulie Malignaggi continued (via Helen Yee):

“You know I think he (Conor McGregor) is probably going to get his ass kicked again. But that’s ok, because they will tell you that he wasn’t focused again. They will tell you it is because he just sold his Whiskey for like what $600 million? They will tell you it is because of that and they will tell you he wasn’t focused because he was too busy finishing deals. The entrepreneur himself. So this way he will get another fight with somebody else and they will watch it again.”

Paulie Malignaggi’s prediction should not come as much of a shock. The ‘Magic Man’ has had a long-standing rivalry with Conor McGregor, which culminated in the Irishman’s friend and training partner Artem Lobov defeating Malignaggi under the BKFC banner in 2019.