Conor McGregor believes Las Vegas weigh-in protocols are a key to defeating Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight this Summer.
The 32-year-old was stopped in the second round by Poirier in their rematch at UFC 257 in January, having beaten the American within 106 seconds in their first fight in 2014.
Speaking during a Twitter Q&A last night, the Dubliner told a fan that he believes fighting in the United States - and particularly with the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s protocol - will benefit him when it comes time to step into the cage.
Asked what his current weight was, McGregor replied: “I could make weight and fight this week.
“Last time we had almost three days post-weigh in to the actual fight, plus an early morning start.
“This time we’ll have just over 24hrs plus a night time start. Both favour me massively. Very excited to return to Las Vegas!”
The pair fought at lightweight (155lbs) last time out on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, where rules around when fighters can hit the scales are different to the fight capital of the world.
They had both made weight by Friday morning local time, but due to broadcasting schedules in the United States fought in the early hours of Sunday morning, which allowed an unprecedented amount of time for both to recover following tough weeks making the 11 stone 1lb limit.
It is standard practice in combat sports to weigh in on a Friday morning for a Saturday fight night, which allows fighters making extreme cuts time to replenish themselves.
But with most of the pay-per-view audience for UFC 257 based in the United States, which is eight hours behind Abu Dhabi on the East Coast and 11 on the West, the pair didn’t actually throw a punch until around 9 AM on Sunday morning; more than two whole days after weigh-ins.
If one fighter’s cut was more strenuous than the other, a longer wait between weigh-ins and ring walks would theoretically give them a notable advantage in the bout.
McGregor was trending on Twitter last night after inviting fans to use the #AskNotorious hashtag to ask questions, which he answered over the span of a few hours.
The Irishman, who is a former two-weight UFC champion, admitted he was considering making a move to buy Scottish giants Celtic, as well as revealing his fiancee Dee Devlin is due to give birth to the couple's third child next week.
