Dustin Poirier wants blood early on in his UFC 257 showdown with Conor McGregor.

Not only does Poirier want revenge when he rematches McGregor later this month, but he also wants to achieve that redemption in violent fashion.

Speaking to the Mail ahead of the January 23 showdown, Poirier admitted that he has many regrets over the manner that his first fight with McGregor unfolded at UFC 178 in September 2014:

"I didn’t even get to fight you know, the fight didn’t even get to blossom," said Poirier of his initial meeting with McGregor, which he lost via stoppage inside two minutes.

'The Diamond', though, vowed not to make the same mistake twice when he steps into the Octagon with McGregor again on Fight Island, promising to turn the fight into an all-out war:

"But that’s fighting anything can happen under those lights...What I want is for us to both be dripping blood and hurting and suffering early in the fight. Then we can find out who’s a real fighter. You know, that’s what I want.

"I want to be bleeding. Within a minute of the first round clock. I want us both to be bleeding and really have to dig down and see who’s the better fighter, see who really wants to be in there.

"You know, because I don’t have a safety net...I want to be in there. I know that, and I’d like to find out if he does," stated the 31-year-old American, clearly doubting whether McGregor still has the appetite for such an intense battle.

In the more than six years that have passed since he was defeated by McGregor, Poirier has recorded some very impressive wins.

Victories over the likes of Max Holloway, Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje all stand out on his record.

However, whilst Poirier may be planning on making it a long night for McGregor this time around, the impressive finishing record of 'The Notorious' cannot be ignored.

McGregor brushed Donald Cerrone aside in just 40 seconds in his last bout - and has numerous first-round finishes on his record throughout his career. Most famously, McGregor took out Jose Aldo in a mere 13 seconds to claim his first UFC championship.

Poirier might get the sort of fight he desires, but he will undoubtedly need to weather an early storm from McGregor to get there. We are less than two weeks away from finding out how the fight unfolds.