“When you sign to fight me, it’s a celebration,” Conor McGregor famously stated those lines before facing Jose Aldo back in 2015, implying how his opponent’s life changes after facing him. Since then, the impact behind his words hasn’t changed much, as one of ‘The Notorious’ biggest rivals, Dustin Poirier, admitted that his life transformed after going against the Irishman twice, which also surprised Joe Rogan.

In a candid confession, ‘The Diamond’ unveiled that his beating McGregor twice positively transformed his life, which opened the door for him to appear in various seminars and get more recognition in general. Well, it seemed Poirier’s words stunned Joe Rogan, who decided to open up about his favorite McGregor moment.

“I fought 19 years, that Conor fight, that’s when things changed for me recognition-wise,” Poirier said at JRE podcast episode. “The door opened for seminars, for appearances. That changed everything. I had been in so many UFC main events. I had fought for the belt and done all this stuff, but that guy’s name, man.”

Isn’t it nuts how just personality got him so far?” Rogan said in the podcast episode. “But obviously very skilled. The Eddie Alvarez fight, that’s the Conor in his prime form, when he was in the matrix. The Aldo fight was great, but because it was one shot, that was amazing. But the Alvarez fight was him in the matrix, when the punches moving up in the weight and touching his nose and he’s firing back those combinations, he was just in the zone,” he added.

Well, when it comes to proper star power, it’s very safe to say no one has matched Conor McGregor’s level so far. Every time the Irishman gets inside the Octagon, it generates a ton of eyes, and from UFC’s perspective, it means 8 straight million-dollar PPV buys. So naturally, when McGregor appears in a showdown, his opponent also receives that share of star power, which Nate Diaz acquired with two fights.

Similarly, Poirier’s star power also shot through the roof after he beat ‘The Notorious’ twice in a trilogy bout (UFC 257, UFC 264). After beating McGregor at UFC 264, a well-known fitness energy drink company, Celsius, partnered with the Louisiana native, which remains one of the major sponsorships of his career. Moreover, Poirier also received a title shot against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 immediately after defeating ‘The Notorious’. So, that shows how beating the former champ impacted Poirier’s overall career.

However, when it comes to Joe Rogan, the UFC color commentator has time and again praised McGregor as the biggest star of this sport. But Rogan is not the only fan of the Irishman’s masterclass against Eddie Alvarez. The former middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, also claimed that the UFC 205 version of McGregor could have beaten Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Now, as Dustin Poirier and Joe Rogan found some common ground reflecting on Conor McGregor’s influence in the sport, the entire fan base is getting ready to see it once again, as McGregor is effectively planning his return.

Conor McGregor confirms his comeback to the UFC

For five years, ‘The Notorious’ fanbase has been craving for their favorite star to clash at UFC once again. However, every time McGregor’s comeback gets halted by some unfortunate incident. In 2024, he almost fought Michael Chandler at UFC 303, but the Irishman’s toe injury canceled the main event bout. After that, McGregor’s return seemed inevitable for the UFC White House card, and again the talks fizzled out before the Irish star could step in the cage.

However, amid the disappointments, the hope around McGregor’s return remained as he shared some good news. Taking to social media, ‘The Notorious’ confidently disclosed that his comeback is set, and it’s only a matter of time before we see him fighting at UFC once again.

“The rumours are true!” McGregor wrote on Instagram. “Mr. Confidence returns to save fighting again! Call your grandma! Nanny, we did it! Watch and pay me. Fuck you, pay me. You fat Irish prick, you don’t have my money, I put your brain to sleep. See ya’s in the casinos after, the Mac loves yas all, I got love for yas all, it’s an honor, it’s light work, it’s easy.

 FOR LIFE AND ETERNITY ITS MCGREGOR! BIG MONEY MAC DADDY MCGREGOR I EXPECT FAWNING OF THE HIGHEST FOR LIFE. I DO THIS FIGHT GAME EASY PEEZY 🥋 THE SOUND OF MY SHOTS OFF THE HEAD GO “BING” in green dot laser form. Go BHB! 😉 Watch divine magic when I fight 🙏✨ Hey @paramountplus see you guys soon I’m so excited! And Born Ready. The Notorious Conor McGregor,” he added.

Well, according to prominent journalist Ariel Helwani, the possible timeline for McGregor’s return will be International Fight Week, and Max Holloway is the frontrunner to face him. In that case, ‘The Notorious’ will be back in the month of July when the UFC will host the prestigious weekend.

That said, do you think we’d actually see McGregor back in action at the International Fight Week? Let us know in the comments section below.