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Conor McGregor Vs. Jake Paul: Will It Still Happen After UFC Star's KO By Dustin Poirier?

Conor McGregor Vs. Jake Paul: Will It Still Happen After UFC Star's KO By Dustin Poirier?

Don't expect McGregor and Paul to share a ring any time soon.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

What are the chances of Conor McGregor fighting Jake Paul next following his shock defeat to Dustin Poirier? It's now much less likely to happen after what transpired at UFC 257.

Here's why... so, McGregor is back to the drawing board after suffering his first TKO loss of his MMA career. He wants the Poirier trilogy bout with his coach John Kavanagh already targeting a date in May.

That's just a few months away and it bears resemblance to when McGregor lost to Nate Diaz.

We all know the story - McGregor fought Diaz who submitted him on short notice. The Irishman won the rematch after going through a gruelling training camp to fix his cardio issues.

Correcting the wrongs, a focused and committed McGregor transformed himself, exacting revenge on Diaz before making UFC history by becoming the first fighter in the promotion's history to hold two titles simultaneously.

Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA

Fast forward five years, McGregor appears to be back in that same mindset. Other combat avenues now look like a distant dream as he tries to get back where he was as a mixed martial artist.

Fans have been crying out for '2016 McGregor' and his loss could trigger that version of himself heading into a potential rubber match with Poirier.

Of course, it won't stop talks between Paul and McGregor, with the YouTube star previously offering the Irishman $50 million to enter the ring with him. Paul pulled out all the stops to call him out, taunting him and even aiming a dig at his fiancée.

Image: Jake Paul/Instagram
Image: Jake Paul/Instagram

Amid Paul's call outs, McGregor failed to acknowledge him as he remained laser-focused on the task at hand ahead of fighting Poirier.

The 24-year-old renewed his public pursuit of McGregor by taking a shot at him following his stoppage defeat, saying he's got just $10,000 for him now.

Paul, though, gets his wish of facing an MMA fighter as he's set to take on former UFC star Ben Askren who has agreed to a boxing bout.

He has ambitious plans with McGregor's teammate Dillon Danis also in the firing line.

But McGregor vs. Paul seems miles away from happening after UFC 257. It was always unlikely, but even more so now Conor has something to prove in the UFC.

He's already sitting on a load of cash. He's not hungry for money-fights. By the sounds of it, McGregor - still relatively young in the fight game at 32 - is eyeing fights that will define his legacy. We're talking Poirier, Diaz and fighting for UFC gold again.

But McGregor vs. Paul? Despite all the call-outs, don't expect them to share a ring any time soon.

Featured Image Credit: UFC/Jake Paul

Topics: Conor Mcgregor, Dustin Poirier, Boxing News, UFC News, Boxing, Jake Paul, Fight News, UFC 257, UFC