Conor McGregor: No denying a title shot after finishing Dustin Poirier
Conor McGregor will fight a top 10 opponent for the first time in his UFC career this weekend as he takes on No. 5 ranked featherweight Dustin Poirier, but with a win the brash Irishman anticipates nothing less than a title fight for his next trip to the Octagon.
In the last year and a half, McGregor has gone from an unknown prospect to a legitimate superstar and he's positive that if he can put away Poirier in impressive fashion, there's no other choice than to give him a fight against the winner of Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes in October.
"You could say Cub (Swanson) is the No. 1 contender and him and Frankie (Edgar) could be the No. 1 contender spot. Cub couldn't finish Dustin (Poirier). For me to go out there and put Dustin away in one round and make it look easy like I will do, what else can do? Who else can they give me other than the champion? Other than the title shot?" McGregor asked.
It's not just about winning on Saturday night, but McGregor wants to finish Poirier in such a way that there's no way to put him in any other fight other than a championship bout. He believes he's ready now and the only thing left to do is prove it by destroying Poirier.
"Dustin comes out, misses every shot, clatters off the canvas towards the end of the first, midway through the first, who's ever done that before? They can't deny that. They won't be able to deny that anymore. It's set it stone he's ready for the title shot," McGregor said.
"I believe they will give it to me. I don't think they want to hold me back either. I think they want me to get that shot and get that gold and I will go and get it."
As far as who he might face if the title shot actually comes to fruition, McGregor doesn't seem to care much about analyzing Aldo vs. Mendes 2. He's traveling to Brazil next month to sit cage side and watch the fight with UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta, but the only thing he wants to know is which one of them he's going to face with the title on the line.
"Certainly, I don't care, I don't give a s--t," McGregor said about Aldo vs. Mendes. "Personally, I will beat both of them but I don't care how the contest goes."
If Aldo happens to come away victorious, McGregor would even invite a chance to go to Brazil to snatch the title away from him.
"If it steps up that I need to go to Brazil, I would relish that opportunity," McGregor said. "I would love to walk in there and hear the boos and play the villain. That would be phenomenal for me. I come into my own with that."
