Shock Conor McGregor retirement claim ahead of Dustin Poirier fight

A shock claim has emerged ahead of Conor McGregor’s battle with Dustin Poirier that it could be the Irishman’s final ever fight.

Conor McGregor may well retire from UFC if he loses again to Dustin Poirier this weekend.

The pair will battle it out in their trilogy fight in Las Vegas in the headline attraction of UFC 264 on Sunday afternoon (AEST).

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McGregor lost his rematch to Poirier in January in Abu Dhabi in a brutal second round knockout.

And a former UFC champion believes a second defeat in a row to Poirier will be enough for the Irishman to retire from the Octagon for good.

Former middleweight king Michael Bisping reckons McGregor is “a long way off” reclaiming the UFC championship belt and another loss may be the last straw for his career.

“If he loses, I think there’s a potential that he might retire,” Bisping said in an episode of his podcast Believe You Me.

“I really do. If he’s not going to be the champ, and that is a long way off, what is he going to do?

“He’ll always be the main event but is he just doing to do random fights against people that don’t mean anything?

“He’s made his money. He always said that he was going to get rich and get out. He’s certainly got rich.

“The last part is to get out. If he can’t beat Poirier and can’t fight for the belt anytime soon, then what?”

The winner of the series decider between Poirier and McGregor will earn the right to take on newly-crowned lightweight king Charles Oliveria.

Dustin Poirier (left) got the better of Conor McGregor in their rematch back in January. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

UFC president Dana White argued McGregor would cement his legacy as one of the greatest ever fighters if he can get past Poirier and Oliveria to reclaim the 155lb title.

“There’s so much at stake in this fight, and I love that,” the veteran promoter told ESPN.

“To have lost the belt and gone through the things that happened to him personally, professionally — to come back and beat the No. 1 contender, who just beat him, and then fight for the title and win?

“Financially, it’s off the charts. Professionally, it’s off the charts.

But McGregor is certainly leaving nothing on the table in his preparation for his hotly-anticipated fight with Poirier, at least according to his social media.

The Notorious is getting into the shape of his life, and hasn’t been afraid to show off his ripped body ahead of the fight.

McGregor displayed his bulging biceps as he shared pictures of his impressive physique on Instagram.

He was undone by a series of brutal calf kicks on Fight Island back in January when the pair last met. If he is to be outfoxed by Poirier again, it is unlikely to have anything to do with a lack of fitness.

Riding his bicycle shirtless, wearing a pair of neon shorts, McGregor took his hands off the handlebars to flex his muscles for the camera. He wore a green cap, bearing the message “Live Lucky”.

Fans of the 32-year-old were concerned when they spotted a nasty black eye in several of his Instagram posts last month. The shiner was likely sustained during a tough sparring session.

He has stayed in Dubai for six months after the fight to serve his six-month medical suspension following the knockout.

“If you put in the time in here, you feel cosy in here, and that’s it. I have to dust this one off and come back and that’s what I’m going to do,” McGregor said after the defeat earlier this year.

“You don’t get away with being inactive in this business.

“It’s a tough one to swallow.”