Conor McGregor is going back to his tried and trusted arsenal of trash talk ahead of this weekend's rematch with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, as the Irishman left a bizarre voice note for his opponent online.
If McGregor has exploded onto the scene in his first couple of UFC fights, his showdown with Dustin Poirier back in 2014 was his coming out party. The Dubliner's unique mixture of hype and star power was on full display in the lead-in to the fight, with his appearance at a press conference prior to the fight the first real introduction into McGregor's array of trash talk.
"Don't get me wrong, he's a nice kid he's a quiet little hillbilly from the back-arse of nowhere," he said on stage in Las Vegas, flanked by Poirier - who he continually referred to as 'Pea-head' - as well as Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.
"A gust of wind and he does a chicken dance," he said of Poirier's chin, something which he later backed up in their fight at UFC 178 when he TKO'd his rival less than two minutes into the first round.
The sequel in their rivalry was markedly different. Gone was the animosity and insults, replaced instead by charity donations and hot sauce promotion and when it came time to get down to work, it was Poirier who emerged with the win as he knocked McGregor out in the second round after tenderizing his lower legs with a stream of calf kicks.
Some had speculated that 'nice, respectful' McGregor doesn't have the same type of killer instinct as that young Irishman desperate to mark his mark on the sport all those years ago - and if his army of fans were hoping for the return of the fiery, insult-filled McGregor that is what they received early Tuesday when McGregor uploaded a rather unusual voice note to Twitter.
"Dustin... Pea-head... I'm coming for you, Pea-head. Silly hillbilly," says McGregor in the brief clip.
Whether or not this newly inflamed version of McGregor can get the job done this weekend against Poirier remains to be seen but he does seem to have strayed somewhat from the reverential tones he was using in advance of the second Poirier fight, and against Donald Cerrone a year before that.
The stakes are about as high as it gets for both men, with UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira expected to view the contest from cageside.
The winner of McGregor vs. Poirier III will almost certainly be the Brazilian's first challenger for the world title he won in a fight against Michael Chandler which was made after former champ Khabib Nurmagomedov confirmed his long-speculated retirement from mixed martial arts.
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