UFC STAR Conor McGregor has said that there will be "no more Mr Nice Guy" in the wake of his defeat to Dustin Poirier.
McGregor, 32, is a notorious loudmouth but seemed to show more respect towards his opponent in the build-up to his most recent bout in the octagon.
This led to some speculation that the self-acclaimed "face of the fight game" had lost his edge.
The Crumlin born cage fighter was catapulted into superstardom several years ago on the back of a string of impressive victories and his unmatched ability for trash talking.
In an Instagram post on Monday afternoon captioned “No more Mr Nice Guy”, the former two division champion appeared to signal his intent to return to his old ways – the dynamite combination of both bark and bite.
The post comes one week after former UFC welterweight Ben Askren said the Irishman was less “effective” when he’s nice to his opponents.
Appearing on the Real Quick with Mike Swick podcast, Askren said: "Conor without the s**t talk is a lot less effective.
"I mean if you just look at the Poirier fight, in the first fight, he got him really upset, right?
"And Poirier got overextended, tried to fight too hard and boom, clips him and puts him down.
"Jose Aldo, gets him mad, Aldo rushes in, boom, puts him down.
"And now in these last couple of fights, we've seen like this, I don't know, nicer, happy, more mature guy. I don't know what to call it.
"It's not the same Conor we saw five years ago. And there's other things that are different as well.
"But I think Conor without the s**t talk is a less effective Conor."
Defeat by TKO to Poirier was the third loss of McGregor’s last six appearances in the octagon – the most memorable of which was his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a record setting box office bonanza back in 2018.
McGregor – who displayed his ability to stage a dramatic comeback by beating Nate Diaz in 2016 – has vowed to learn from his mistakes when he next touches gloves with Poirier.
He said: "What a trilogy I now have on my hands. Exciting!
“With a handle on the leg kicks I will get back to having fun in there.
"I was in second gear cruising this fight. Best condition I’ve ever been in.
"After the wrestling and clinch exchanges, my shots still held their pop. First time for me with this so I am very encouraged to keep going.
"It was the first time I did not use/nor need the stool between rounds also. I did need the stool after though that’s for sure.
"I am extremely happy I did not need to use the stool between rounds here anyway. Another first for me!
"I am most certainly on the right path. Despite the loss I am on the correct path of evolution."
He continued: "One apiece now with a trilogy bout for all the marbles! Wow! Exciting!
"Not a trilogy I was expecting, nor the tactical affair I was anticipating, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t meant to be.
"This is exactly how this was always meant to be! Buzzing!!”
While McGregor’s unruly ways have served him well in the world of MMA, his loutish behaviour outside of the octagon – leading to him being fined and read his Miranda rights on a regular basis – begs the question: if this was Mr Nice, what comes next?
