UFC Legend Confident Of Conor McGregor Bouncing Back From Defeat

Georges St-Pierre has no doubt that Conor McGregor will return to fight inside the Octagon despite his shock loss to Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 257 last weekend.

There were only a few who picked “The Diamond” to walk away with his hand raised in triumph, and St-Pierre was certainly not among them as he leaned on the Irishman to pick up the victory.

St-Pierre admitted that he was surprised at how composed Poirier was during the fight, especially when “The Notorious” started to land his signature left straight with precision.

“I thought Conor [McGregor] was going to win and I was wrong,” St-Pierre told Michael Bisping, as quoted on Bloody Elbow. “I was very surprised how Poirier keep his composure under the pressure because I think one of Conor’s strengths is that he overwhelms his opponents with his pressure, with his presence. Poirier stayed sharp. It was a real testament of how good he is.”

McGregor was so confident about coming out on top that he had one eye on the future. He called out a number of fighters in the lightweight division, including the retired Khabib Nurmagomedov and his long-time rival Nate Diaz.

With the Dublin native’s upset defeat, UFC president Dana White is unsure if McGregor could bounce back and regain the same intensity he once sported in and out of the cage.

St-Pierre has no such concerns and is certain that the former two-division champion’s days under the bright lights of the UFC are far from over.

“It will be interesting to see how Conor can come back from it," he stated. "I believe Conor can come back from that loss. He is the kind of fighter, he fuels himself on confidence. When he is confident, that’s how he performs at his best. He likes to act confident.”

“I believe in Conor. I believe he is gonna come back from that. I believe he is going to overcome that obstacle,” St-Pierre added.

The comeback, however, is unlikely to happen anytime soon as McGregor has been handed a six-month medical suspension following his defeat to Poirier.

McGregor has received a 180-day ban over the potential right tibia/fibula injury but could return to action sooner if cleared to fight by a doctor.