Dana White has said that Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2 is a done deal ‘as far as he knows.’ (H/T MMA Fighting.)
The UFC President told reporters at the UFC Vegas 12 post-fight press conference that the two will rematch on January 23rd, with contracts a done deal.
The pair will be looking for a possible title fight when they meet but UFC President, Dana White has insisted that there will be no fight for the vacant Lightweight belt soon as he believes Khabib Nurmagomedov will return for another fight to go 30-0.
McGregor and Poirier first faced off in 2014 in the featherweight division. An affair which was McGregor’s fourth in the 145-pound division and one he went on to win through a first round TKO.
The pair are now expected to fight in the Lightweight division, having both moved up since their last fight. McGregor went on to win the Featherweight world title, then moving up to 155 and becoming the UFC’s first double champion, whilst Poirier moved up to the Lightweight division after their clash, eventually earning and losing a title shot against the recently retired Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Conor McGregor then went on to vacate the Lightweight championship, instead opting to face Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match. Khabib then went on to pick up the vacated belt with a win against Al Iaquinta. McGregor then fought Khabib in a bid to gain his belt back in which he lost via fourth round submission.
McGregor and Poirier both recently teased fans by tweeting just one emoji each, McGregor opted for a happy emoji whilst Poirier went with his signature diamond emoji.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 29, 2020
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) October 29, 2020
The second fight between the two is expected to have a much less heated build up than the first. During the build up to the first fight McGregor constantly took verbal jabs at Poirier, with the American telling UFC embedded cameras during the build up that ‘He’s never disliked somebody this much who he’s fought.’
Of course this was in 2014 and the pair now seem to have some mutual respect for each other. McGregor had originally offered to donate $500,000 to Poirier’s charity, The Good Fight Foundation for a ‘televised exhibition in Ireland.’ The pair were then offered to fight in the UFC, with McGregor still insisting the donation will stand.
Who do you think will win the lightweight bout between McGregor and Poirier?