Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier is not official yet — but it is close.
That’s according to UFC president Dana White who provided an update on the lightweight matchup expected to headline the UFC 257 pay-per-view event on January 23.
It was recently reported that both sides had come to terms on a deal on Monday. However, White revealed to ESPN that only Poirier has signed a bout agreement as of now. McGregor — who verbally agreed to the fight last month –was sent the bout agreement on Tuesday but has yet to sign it.
That said, White is hopeful it will be official soon.
“Jan. 23 on Fight Island, if everything goes according to plans,” White said. “There are a ton of if’s right now. I have to see where the world is at in the next couple of months.”
ESPN adds that the UFC had a hard time negotiating with Poirier to the point that they even considered a different opponent for McGregor. In the end, Poirier finally agreed to a deal.
If booked, it will mark McGregor’s return to action after over a year after previously returning in January this year where he needed just 40 seconds to TKO Donald Cerrone in the UFC 246 headliner.
Poirier, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Dan Hooker in June. He previously faced McGregor in a featherweight bout back in 2014 but would suffer a first-round TKO defeat. “The Diamond” has since won 10 of his last 13 fights.
Do you think the fight will be made official soon? And who wins?