Cody Garbrandt Down To Fight Brandon Moreno ... Promises KO Or Submission
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Cody Garbrandt is ALL IN on a fight with Brandon Moreno ... telling TMZ Sports he wants a tilt with the champ, and he's promising a knockout or a submission when it happens!!
"No Love" broke it all down for us outside the Roosevelt Hotel on Friday ... saying he's been eyeing a move from bantamweight to flyweight for a while.
And, he tells us a fight with Moreno -- who just called Cody out this week -- is the perfect opportunity to finally make that happen.
"I'll finally get to fight at my natural weight [of 125 pounds] where I think I can perform my best," says Garbrandt, who tells us he's already started the process of changing around his diet and workout routine.
"I feel like I'm a way better fighter than him."
Don't get it twisted, though ... Garbrandt respects the hell out of Moreno -- telling us he believes the dude is a legit champion.
But, if the fight does get made ... Cody says he sees it all ending with him on top via some kind of finish.
"I'll finish him for sure," Garbrandt says. "KO, submission. Whatever."
Ya hear that, Dana White? Let's make it happen!
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Justin Bieber Breakfast Booze w/ Conor McGregor ... Bro Fest Rolls On!!!
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Justin Bieber and Conor McGregor -- "The Biebs" and "The Notorious" -- are just a couple of bros having a "proper" breakfast together ... shirtless, of course.
JB and the MMA star were hanging out in Bev Hills Friday, as McGregor continues to recover from his gnarly leg injury suffered at UFC 264 in his loss to Dustin Poirier.
It may seem surprising -- especially since Bieber used to be tight with Conor's nemesis, Floyd Mayweather -- but Justin and Conor have been getting pretty chummy of late.
Bieber was super supportive of McGregor after his January loss to Poirier and also leading up to their latest fight, and Conor actually hopped on his Instagram Live days before UFC 264 to thank him for all the love.
JB also shouted out CM after his injury to send good vibes his way ... and now, here they are, enjoying good vibes together.
Justin captioned the photos, "Breakfast of champions." and tagged Conor's Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey ... which they both appear to be enjoying.
Bieber added, "its about how you get back up." As we've reported ... McGregor's vowed to do exactly that.
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Conor McGregor Recovering Poolside In L.A. ... All Smiles 1 Week After Surgery
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Forget Advil and ice ... Conor McGregor's clearly found a better way to recover from a broken leg -- a pool, some drinks and L.A. sunshine!!!
The UFC star showed Wednesday he's doing just fine 1 week after docs surgically repaired his busted ankle ... posting pics of him loving life in Beverly Hills.
The photos showed Conor is clearly in great spirits despite the lengthy rehab process ahead of him ... getting in what appears to be some cocktails with friends on a lounge chair.
The pics, though, also showed just how brutal McGregor's injury truly is.
Check out the cast on his left leg ... it wraps all the way from his toes to his knee -- and it's bulky too.
As we previously reported, McGregor needed a rod, a plate and screws to fix the leg he broke during his fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
The surgery went on for 3.5 hours ... and Dana White has said he believes the recovery process will take a full YEAR.
But, Conor doesn't seem too down about it all ... he even filmed himself getting a haircut by the pool Wednesday while flashing a big grin.
Sucks we won't get to see the dude in the Octagon again until 2022 at the earliest ... but hey, at least the early goings of the rehab process appear to be moving smoothly!
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UFC's Sean O'Malley Gets '69' Tattoo From 6ix9ine ... 'You Da Man!!!'
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UFC star Sean O'Malley and 6ix9ine made their bromance permanent this week ... 'cause Suga let the controversial rapper tattoo his '69' logo on him!!
The duo had a helluva weekend together in Miami ... clubbing, playing softball and eating expensive ass meals out in South Beach.
But, while the good times may fade away, there's one part of their bro-down that won't -- the wild new ink O'Malley got ... with Tekashi taking the matters into his own hands and doing the job himself!!
You can see shirtless O'Malley sitting while Tekashi, needle in hand ... is going to work on his right shoulder.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Granted, celebrity tattoo artist Tatu Panda was there to make sure Tekashi69 didn't screw up ... and eventually took over after the first few minutes.
O'Malley was pleased with his big and bold 69 tat ... saying "you da man!" in the comment section on the Instagram post.
But, Suga wasn't the only one to get tatted by Tekashi ... it looks like YouTuber SteveWillDoIt let him start a tat on his left hand, too!!
No word on if 6ix9ine got a tat as well ... but the dude's clearly running out of room on his body, so who knows?!
Suga recapped the whole weekend on his podcast ... saying Steve even gifted him a sick new Rolex in the process!!
Hey, the guy has every right to have a good time -- he's fresh off a win at UFC 264 -- so it's well deserved!!
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UFC Champ Brandon Moreno Wants To Fight Cody Garbrandt ... Not Figueiredo, Yet
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UFC's newest flyweight champ Brandon Moreno is hunting for his next big fight ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to take on the ex-bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt -- if the dude's willing to drop some pounds.
We caught up with the 27-year-old Mexican star fresh off last month's huge win over Deiveson Figueiredo ... and while "Deus Da Guerra" wants an immediate rematch, Moreno says he's got some work to do before getting the trilogy fight.
"I think he needs to fight against another guy because the last fight wasn't even close," Moreno tells us. "Domination from the first through the third round."
"I'm open to fight against him, but I think he needs to fight again with somebody," he added. "Not because I'm scared or something like that -- it's hard to get scared in this sport because a lot of brave people here in this sport -- but I think it's not my next fight."
So, if DF is out of the question, who's next??
Moreno loves the idea of scrapping with "No Love" -- the guy who held the bantamweight belt in 2016 -- saying it's exactly the type of opponent he's looking for.
"I'm interested in that fight because he's a huge name. He's a possibility."
Of course, Moreno and Figueiredo's first fight in 2020 ended in a draw ... and "The Assassin Baby" got the W last month via 3rd round submission, becoming the first Mexican-born UFC champ.
Moreno's clearly down to give Figueiredo his rematch down the line ... but says a fight with a guy like Cody is his priority. He also gives another possible opponent ... and you'll wanna hear what he says.
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Conor McGregor Unveils $3.6 Million Lambo Yacht ... She's Finally Here!!!
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Conor McGregor's got 99 problems, but a ship ain't one -- the UFC superstar finally received his beloved Lambo yacht this week ... and the thing looks incredible!!
As we previously reported, the Notorious purchased a Lamborghini Tecnomar 63 -- referred to as a "Supercar of the Sea" -- for (at least) nearly $4 MILLION back in October.
Worth noting, that number might be even higher ... 'cause there's a chance the boat has even more bells and whistles. After all, this is Conor we're talking about.
The shiny, new toy couldn't have come at a better time for McGregor -- the guy is recovering from a devastating snapped leg at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier ... and now he has a ton of space to rest up on the water.
Conor's yacht is 63 feet long, weighs 24 tons, can reach up to 60 knots and has a 4,000 horsepower engine.
The yacht is one of just 63 made available to the (superrich) public ... with Conor getting the 12th in honor of his Proper 12 whiskey.
Remember, the dude was the highest-paid athlete in 2020 with $180 million -- due in large part to the booze biz -- so it's only right he pays tribute with the green boat.
Conor previously said it'll take about 6 weeks on crutches to recover from his injury ... and now we know where to find him if we need him.
Enjoy ... and get well soon!!!
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Daymond John To Kris Moutinho Offers Fighter Financial Advice ... After $75K Bonus Check
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Daymond John is offering up financial advice to new UFC star Kris Moutinho ... after the crazy tough fighter admitted to TMZ Sports he has no clue what to do with his $75K bonus check.
The Shark Tank star and business mogul joined "TMZ Live" for his weekly "Follow The Money" segment ... and laid out exactly how Moutinho should allot the cash.
Pay your manager, start a corporation, write-off expenses, and open an account to save money are just a few of the tips John recommended Kris follow.
Remember, "Suga" Sean O'Malley peppered Kris with 230 significant strikes during their UFC 264 matchup ... but WOULD NOT QUIT. Moutinho ultimately lost, but Dana White gave him the $75K Fight of the Night bonus ... money KM admitted he had no idea to manage.
And, get this, Daymond -- who's an extremely busy guy -- actually offered to work with Kris one-on-one ... and help Moutinho get his finances together.
"This young man is gonna be getting a lot of checks. He's my new favorite, and if he wants to call me, I'm gonna help him put that money in the right place, stay protected, and grow that money," Daymond says.
"And, I have a lot of good friends who would love to help him financially and show him what to do, cause he was smart enough to know he did not know what to do with that type of money, and many of us need to act like that when we get money."
Kris, give Daymond a call!!!
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Gilbert Burns Down To Fight Leon Edwards, Masvidal But I Really Want Usman!!!
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Gilbert Burns wants to be UFC champion and he's willing to fight Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal -- 2 of the baddest dudes in the welterweight division -- all in order to earn a rematch with 170 lb.-king, Kamaru Usman.
TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Burns fresh off a convincing, unanimous decision win over Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson at UFC 264 ... and "Durinho" is open to scrapping with any of the high-ranked welterweights.
"I want the one that will get me a clear way to the title. If that’s Leon Edwards, that’s the one I want. If I need two more fights, give me Masvidal now then give me Leon Edwards later."
Remember, Burns and Usman -- who used to be training partners in Florida -- fought in February 2021 ... and Usman won via 3rd round TKO.
At the end of the day, who Gilbert fights first ain't all that important ... 'cause he says he ultimately wants smoke with all the best guys in the division.
"Every top opponent I want to face. I still have a dream battle against Colby [Covington]. I still want a rematch with Kamaru. I want to beat Masvidal. I want to beat Nate Diaz. I want to beat Leon Edwards. I want to beat every single guy, especially a tough one in that division."
FYI, Burns is the #2 ranked welterweight. Edwards is #3 and Masvidal -- who's coming off a loss to Usman -- is ranked 7th ... but is one of the UFC's biggest stars.
Burns isn't only making moves inside the Octagon ... we also talked to him about his partnership with Kill Cliff energy drinks -- and the UFC star explains why he signed with the company.
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UFC's Miesha Tate UFC Return Not About Money ... I'm Comin' For The Belt!!
Miesha Tate says her UFC return isn't about money or fame ... it's about regaining her championship belt, and showing her kids women can be good moms and kick ass!!
TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Tate -- who hasn't been in the Octagon under the bright lights of the UFC since November 2016 ... when she lost to Raquel Pennington.
FYI, that happened to be UFC 205 -- the Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez card -- one of the fights that made The Notorious a global superstar.
1,708 days later, Tate is taking on 44-year-old Marion Reneau as the co-main event at UFC Fight Night ... and we asked the UFC star what she wanted to accomplish this 2nd time around.
"This is not just a cash grab, it’s not just a fight. I want to be a champion again."
In fact, Tate -- who beat Holly Holm for the bantamweight title in 2016 -- tells us the layoff actually made her a BETTER fighter.
"Much better. I’m not gonna lie, much better. But, I have to prove that, so just let me glow up and then I can prove it to you guys."
And, Miesha says the comeback isn't only about her ... it's also about showing her kids that women can be great moms AND also have a badass and super-successful career.
"I love my kids more than anything, but at the same time, I want to show them that just because you become a mother, you know mothers get lost a lot of times in our world. It’s ok for the dad to do and be, but the mom just kinda just be the mom," Tate says.
"I want to show my children that women and mothers can have dreams, and goals, and ambition, and still be great mothers."
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Conor McGregor I'll Be Back, Better Than Ever 'Like Arnie In Terminator 2'
8:30 AM PT -- 7/15 -- Conor McGregor is addressing his fans for the first time since leaving an L.A. hospital Wednesday afternoon ... updating his fans on his health just days after breaking his leg, and having extensive surgery to repair the injury.
McGregor admits he's been on a roller coaster of emotions since the gruesome injury occurred ... sometimes feeling "euphoric" -- and other times feeling down in the dumps and in pain.
Conor says the broken leg wasn't Poirier's doing ... McGregor says he had previous injuries -- "multiple stress fractures" -- that led to the nasty break.
The Notorious also says the broken leg bones will actually end up being an advantage when he returns to the Octagon ... 'cause the "unbreakable" titanium rod is staying put in his leg.
"I'm like Arnie in Terminator 2!"
That makes Dustin ... T-1000??
Conor McGregor was released from a Los Angeles hospital ... just days after surgeons used a rod, plate and screws to fix The Notorious' broken leg.
TMZ Sports talked to Dana White ... who updated us on McGregor's status.
"I think they just released him right now from the hospital about 10, 15 minutes ago."
Remember, Conor cracked his tibia AND fibula during the last 10 seconds of the 1st round of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.
We broke the story ... McGregor underwent successful 3.5-hour surgery at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon.
Doctors surgically placed an intramedullary rod in the tibia ... and attached a plate and screws to the fibula.
After the surgery, Conor made a video message addressing his fans, saying, "Everything went perfect. I'm feeling tremendous" ... adding after 6 weeks on crutches "we begin to build back."
Count the UFC prez as a believer ... 'cause Dana told us he expects McGregor to return to the Octagon.
"He'll be back in a year."
As for Conor's immediate plans ... White says the UFC superstar will spend some time recovering in SoCal.
"He'll be in L.A. for a little while. I don't know if he's gonna fly home, or what he's gonna do."
FYI, today is Conor's 33rd birthday ... and being released from the hospital ain't too bad a present.
Originally Published -- 7/14 4:30 PM PT
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Dana White 'Massive F*** Up' Not Showing Trump On UFC 264 Broadcast
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Dana White says it was a "massive f*** up" by the UFC for NOT showing former President Donald Trump during the Conor McGregor fight card.
The UFC prez tells TMZ Sports the flub was a mix of his production team dropping the ball, a technical issue, and the unpredictability of live television.
The way Dana explains it ... there was a plan in place to show Trump sitting near the Octagon. Cameras were supposed to pan from some big-name celebrities to the former Prez ... but things didn't go according to script.
“We were getting ready to show him right between the co-main and main events, I think you remember that we showed OBJ. We showed OBJ, then it was supposed to go to David Spade, 2 Chainz, and then the president, and we had some kinda glitch in the truck. Then the Conor fight ended up ending in the 2nd round so we never got a chance."
White continued ... "Let me tell you what, massive f*** up by my production team, but ya know, it’s live TV and these things happen.”
We obtained video of DT arriving at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas midway through the main card ... and you see Trump being greeted by Dana and getting a nice ovation from the packed crowd.
But, Trump was never seen on the broadcast ... leading some to speculate there was something nefarious going on with the ESPN broadcast.
Dana says that's NOT the case ... telling us any former president deserves to be shown on TV, regardless of political affiliation.
While Dana's obviously upset at his production team ... Trump isn't bothered by his lack of TV face time.
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Max Holloway Trilogy Fight vs. Dustin Poirier ... 'That'd Be Good Fun'
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Forget Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier 4 ... there's another UFC star who has unfinished business with "The Diamond" -- former champ, Max Holloway.
TMZ Sports talked to 29-year-old Holloway as he was leaving the T-Mobile Arena after UFC 264 ... and we asked the greatest 145-pounder in UFC history whether he's interested in scrapping with Dustin for a third time.
"That’d be good fun. That’d be good fun. Watch out mother Russia," Holloway tells us.
So, will it happen?? Max says that's on Dana White and the UFC match makers.
"I mean that’s up to the UFC. That’s up to the UFC."
Remember, Dustin beat Max twice. He submitted MH via armbar in 2012 -- when both were young fighters. They rematched in 2019 ... and Poirier won by unanimous decision. Dustin started the 2nd fight very strong ... but Max came on late -- in what was a great fight.
We also got Max's thoughts on Conor's gruesome leg injury ... and at the time, Holloway was unsure if McGregor would ever step foot in the Octagon again.
"It’s depressing man. You don’t wish bad luck on anybody like, or a career-ending injury like that. So, I don’t know hopefully Conor comes back, and we see what happens."
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Floyd Mayweather Trolls Conor Over Broken Leg ... 'Ya'll Got It Twisted!!!'
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Floyd Mayweather is reveling in Conor McGregor's downfall ... trolling the UFC star on social media and laughing about the fighter's broken leg.
Floyd took to Instagram on Monday to rub the salt in Conor's wounds ... posting a photoshopped pic that showed a sitting-down McGregor whose foot was turned sideways.
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"Y’all got it twisted!" Floyd said, we're sure with pun intended. "I like how his shoes fit. Now, do the stanky leg."
Floyd has been basking in McGregor's loss ever since The Notorious snapped his leg in his match with Dustin Poirier on Saturday night in Vegas ... claiming he won more than $35,000 betting against Conor.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
"[Dustin Poirier], thanks for getting me paid," Floyd said just minutes after the match.
Of course, the barbs are just the latest in a long-going feud between Floyd and Conor ... as the two have proven over and over again they REALLY don't like each other.
In fact, it was just a few weeks ago that Conor was throwing repeated jabs at Floyd for his whole drama with Logan and Jake Paul.
Unclear if it's all part of a plan to set up an eventual boxing rematch between the two ... but if it is, we're certainly for it.
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UFC's Kris Moutinho $75K Bonus Is Life Changing Money ... Says Sean O'Malley's Opponent
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Kris Moutinho ate 230 significant strikes, but won over MMA fans across the world with his unreal toughness ... and for it got a $75K bonus -- life changing money for the UFC fighter.
TMZ Sports talked to 28-year-old Moutinho -- whose UFC 264 scrap with "Suga" Sean O'Malley was stopped with only 27 seconds left in the 3rd and final round -- about his Fight of the Night bonus ... and how the windfall of cash will change his life.
"I’m extremely happy, man. It’s another step to taking care of my family and putting money into the right avenues to be able to take care of my family, and never have to work another job and just do this again. Do this. The thing I love for the rest of my life," Moutinho says.
In fact, Kris says he's never gotten so much money before ... and admitted he doesn't know how to manage the nearly 6-figure sum -- or what to do with it.
"I gotta figure out what I even got to do with it. I’m not like, I’m not built like this bro. I don’t know what all this is. What, how to pay taxes on this, and how to do that. I’m just trying not to end up broke cause of it, you know what I mean?"
Sean O’Malley vs. Kris Moutinho. What do we think about this stoppage? pic.twitter.com/9cl0uYQQDO
— lord jay #⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝꙰⃝ (@jay_miami) July 11, 2021 @jay_miami
So, the bank account is right ... but how does Moutinho feel physically after taking such a beating??
"Great" ... and what else would you expect from Kris?
"I feel great man, I feel great. Pride’s a little sore from losing, man, because a loss is still a loss. I don’t care how great everybody says the fight is. Man, I still lost, and it still hurts. That’s the only thing. The face, it doesn’t really bother me. I can take pain, I can take blunt force, or I wouldn’t do this, you know?"
And Moutinho -- who has a 9-5 record as a pro -- wants everyone to know his UFC career won't just be one-and-done ... and he would even be down for a rematch with Suga down the road.
"There’s no person I’m afraid of on this earth. It doesn’t matter what [O'Malley] did to me. Punches are so miniscule to the amount of pain I’m willing to endure in my life. This is nothing to me."
Kris continued ... "The only thing I fear on this planet is God, and Sean O’Malley isn’t him. Sean O’Malley isn’t him. It is what it is. He beat me. He beat me up a little bit. Hey next time I’m gonna, for my next fight I’m going to improve. I’m going to fix all these little flaws and you’re gonna see a different person when I step in that cage."
#Respect
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Donald Trump Arriving At McGregor Fight ... Cheered By UFC Crowd!!
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Here's the Donald Trump entrance you did NOT see on TV ... with the former POTUS arriving at the arena for Conor McGregor's UFC 264 fight -- and getting a huge ovation from the packed crowd.
TMZ Sports obtained video of DT arriving at T-Mobile Arena midway through the main card ... and being greeted by his longtime friend, UFC prez Dana White.
As Trump and White begin walking towards the arena floor, Donald sees Jorge Masvidal ... and the 2 men exchanged a bro hug.
Remember, Masvidal campaigned for Trump during the 2020 election cycle ... and they clearly have a pretty tight friendship.
When Trump finally emerged from the tunnel and was spotted by the 20K+ crowd -- there were some jeers -- but the response sounds overwhelmingly positive.
Last week, Dana told us that Trump would NOT be sitting in a luxury box ... he'd be right behind the UFC honcho, Octagon side.
However, the ESPN cameras didn't show Trump ... even though they showed a bunch of other A-list celebs (Kourtney Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Dave Chappelle and more) who were in the house.
Of course, internet conspiracy theorists have been having a field day ... speculating why Trump wasn't shown during the broadcast.
Bottom line ... #45 was there, and seemed to get a whole lotta love from the UFC crowd.
𝑾𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 🇮🇪
— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2021 @ufc
[ @TheNotoriousMMA | #UFC264 ] pic.twitter.com/oL7uf9GWWj
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Dustin Poirier On Conor Rematch: 'Anything Is Possible'
Could a Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch actually happen?? Diamond tells TMZ Sports ... "anything is possible."
We talked to the 32-year-old UFC star as he was leaving T-Mobile Arena following his trilogy fight victory over McGregor ... and we asked if Dustin was interested in a 4th fight.
"Anything is possible. I just have to get with my family, and see what's next."
Of course, Conor -- who underwent a successful 3.5-hour surgery yesterday to repair his broken leg -- is facing a long and arduous rehab process... and that must happen before a 4th fight is made.
Speaking of Conor's injury... we also asked Poirier if he felt bad for McGregor.
"You never wanna see someone injured like that. The recovery is gonna be hard and losing."
But Conor is adamant his fighting career is nowhere near done ... he says he will be back -- and sooner rather than later.
Does Dana White have interest in a 4th fight? 'Cause without the UFC honcho on board, it ain't happening.
White was asked about the possibility of a rematch Saturday night ... and Dana certainly didn't say no.
"Dustin Poirier will fight for the title and when Conor is healed and ready to go, we'll do the rematch."
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier IV, coming to an Octagon in 2022?!?