By CARLO ANOLIN
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor admitted his preparation for a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao may have led to his crushing defeat in a rematch with Dustin Poirier in UFC 257 last January.
McGregor, in a lengthy Instagram post Thursday, said he was focused on showcasing his boxing stance in preparation for his fight with Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.
“A little single disciplined in my approach and stance with mostly boxing,” wrote McGregor. “It’s what I get for picking this bout and opponent as a precursor to a boxing match against Pacman.”
The 32-year-old McGregor also detailed his mistakes during the Octagon clash, lauding Poirier in the process with his impressive leg kicks.
Graceful in defeat, the Irish mixed martial arts star believes he’s on the “correct path of evolution” and is now looking forward to a possible trilogy with the former interim UFC lightweight champion.
“I deserved to get the legs kicked off me going in with this thinking. This is not the game to play around with,” added McGregor.
That said, it looks like the reported match with the eight-division world boxing champion would be shelved for now.
Prior to UFC 257, earlier reports said Audie Attar of Paradigm Sports Management, who handles both Pacquiao and McGregor, were discussing the boxing match.
Attar also said he had been in talks with the UFC management, with the latter agreeing to hold the McGregor-Poirier first.
Following McGregor’s loss, a report by SunSport disclosed that Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, hinted that the Pacquiao-McGregor bout might not be on the radar.
“Very unfortunate, it looked like Conor looked past Dustin and got knocked out. Maybe he had the Senator (Pacquiao) on his mind. I think the demand for the fight is not there presently,” said Gibbons.
