Poirier: 'Ship has sailed' on 4th McGregor fight

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier doesn't see a fourth fight with Conor McGregor ever coming to fruition.

"I think that ship has sailed," Poirier told ESPN's Andreas Hale. "All I want is the UFC lightweight championship."

Poirier is scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound title in the UFC 302 main event June 1 in Newark. It will be the former interim champion's third crack at the undisputed belt in an Octagon career that dates back to 2011.

Poirier became one of the biggest stars in the promotion with a pair of victories over McGregor in 2021. "The Diamond" knocked out McGregor in a surprise result in January that year and then won again via TKO in July after McGregor suffered a broken leg. McGregor had beaten Poirier via first-round knockout in 2014, well before either man reached their peak as fighters.

The lead-up to the third meeting between Poirier and McGregor was particularly heated and personal, and both Poirier and UFC CEO Dana White said afterward that a fourth fight was possible. But nearly three years later, Poirier said he's no longer interested in squaring off with the Irishman and is financially secure enough not to.

"I don't feel the need to fight him again at all," Poirier said. "I don't need that (bad) energy in my life."

McGregor, who hasn't stepped into the cage since the second loss to Poirier, is scheduled to return to action for a long-awaited welterweight matchup against Michael Chandler that will headline UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas.