Conor McGregor vowed to turn up the heat and “bring the fire” to the Octagon for his UFC fight with Dustin Poirier – and earn himself a $30million cheque.
The Dubliner pounded his chest for the cameras but there was no aggro between the two brawlers ahead of the bout scheduled for Sunday morning.
Instead there was a good-natured embrace during their face-off at the ceremonial weigh-in on Abu Dhabi’s Fight Island.
Just a few hundred Irish fans were there to cheer on the 32-year-old, but there was still a carnival atmosphere.
Poirier handed The Notorious a bottle of his Louisiana Style hot sauce and McGregor presented the 32-year-old American with his Proper 12 whiskey.
The former two-weight champion, who kept the trash-talk to a minimum, promised fans a “treat” for their UFC 257 rematch.
McGregor, who appeared relaxed and confident, said: “It’s great to be back here, I’m delighted I got the Louisiana hot sauce.
“I look forward to bringing the hot sauce and the fire tomorrow. Let’s go.
“Thank you so much for the support. I’m so excited to be back, you’re in for
a treat tomorrow night.”
When McGregor and Poirer last clashed in 2014, the fight lasted just one minute and 46 seconds as the Crumlin brawler won by technical knock-out.
However, Poirier is determined to avenge his previous defeat and promised his fans he will “win by all means necessary”.
McGregor will get $5million for just stepping into the Octagon and another $25million from pay-per-view TV rights around the world.
Poirier will get his $1million purse plus a share of the pay-per-view rights.
McGregor had earlier turned the weigh-in ahead of his fight with Poirier into a family affair as he walked out with his son Conor Jnr.
The megastar was in fine form as he held the hand of the three-year-old and the pair gave a big thumbs up to the cameras.
Fiancee Dee Devlin, pregnant with the couple’s third child, sat alongside two-year-old Croia and her brother, who had, “Come on Daddy” emblazoned on their fronts.
Several hours earlier, McGregor and Poirier both made the official weight ahead of their much-hyped clash, which takes place at 5am tomorrow morning. The Notorious tipped the scales at 155lbs, while Poirier weighed slightly heavier at 156lbs.
McGregor, who pounded his chest, roared: “That’s 1-5-5. Championship weight.”
McGregor’s long-time trainer John Kavanagh tweeted: “Two elite fighters on weight and healthy in their prime ready to go.
“We’re gonna witness something special.
“The painting is complete, the unveiling will be nothing short of spectacular.
“Combat sports at its absolute best. Lets go.”
