Conor McGregor to Dustin Poirier: ‘I’ll be in the middle from the very go’ at UFC 264

The banter heats up between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier now that their trilogy is set for this summer.

Wherever [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] wants to throw down in the opening seconds of their trilogy fight, [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] says he’ll be ready for it.

On Tuesday, McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) proclaimed as much in a brief back-and-forth exchange with Poirier (27-6 MMA, 20-6 UFC) on Twitter. The online spat was initiated when Poirier told McGregor he’ll meet him in the center of the cage July 10.

The two fighters are expected to face off in the headliner of UFC 264 on July 10. With their series tied at one win apiece, the trilogy will settle the score.

“I never slack, I’ll meet you in the middle of the octagon July 10th,” Poirier wrote when he quoted a McGregor tweet about the Irishman’s work ethic.

In response, McGregor quoted Poirier’s tweet and challenged “The Diamond” to do just that: meet him in the middle. Whether he strikes or shoots in the opening exchange will be up to Poirier, but McGregor voiced confidence in whatever decision Poirier makes.

“Good to hear Dustin, I hope so,” McGregor wrote. “As last time you backed up and shot inside the first 30 seconds. I’ll be in the middle from the very go if you want it. You know that. I’ll be ready for the tactics this time too tho. See you in there.”

Poirier rides a two-fight winning streak into the matchup with one of the victories being a second-round knockout of McGregor this past January at UFC 257.

As for McGregor, he’s lost three of his most recent six fights and has only fought three times in MMA since November 2016. He defeated Poirier by first-round knockout when the pair first met at UFC 178 in September 2014.

UFC 264 takes place July 10 at a yet-to-be-announced location and venue. The main card is expected to stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.