Four-years after their first featherweight escapades at UFC 178, lightweight strikers, Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier and ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor are set to meet again in January at UFC 257. With stakes higher than ever between the two — promotional leader, Dana White has predicted a “completely different” matchup this time round.
Former two-weight world champion, McGregor took on then perennial 145-pound contender Poirier at the September 2014 Las Vegas event. And in a breakout performance for the Dubliner, took home an opening-round knockout win over the American Top Team staple, becoming the first to finish Poirier with strikes in professional mixed martial arts.
Going on to achieve featherweight and eventual lightweight title success, McGregor hasn’t been nearly as active at 155-pounds as soon to be two-time foe, Poirier, who has flourished at his new lightweight home.
Establishing an incredible 10-2-(1) record at 155-pounds since then, as well as interim title last year, Poirier has bested a whopping four former world champions. Grabbing a second career win over former featherweight best, Max Holloway, Poirier added the Hawaiian to a winning run consisting of Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, and Anthony Pettis.
UFC president, Dana White recently gave his thoughts on the upcoming re-run of Poirier vs. McGregor during an interview with BT Sports reporter, Caroline Pearce, and predicted a different clash than the pair’s first instalment.
“It’s a completely different fight,” White said. “Obviously Conor (McGregor) is a much better fighter than he was when he faced him, and (Dustin) Poirier is a much better fighter too. I don’t know how that plays out now in the fight, but it’s definitely interesting. You can’t look at the first time and go, ‘Oh, this is exactly the way that’s gonna go again,’ Because it won’t. Conor looks damn good, and Poirier’s always in shape. I expect this to be a good fight.” (H/T MMA Junkie)
32-year-old counter striker, McGregor recently took his training camp to Albufeira in Portugal, where he’s joined by renowned kickboxing ace, Cian Cowley, as well as Straight Blast Gym staples, head coach, John Kavanagh, striking maestro, Owen Roddy, and wrestling technician, Sergey Pikulskiy.
With a single fight under their respective belts in 2020, Poirier headlined UFC Vegas 4 in June, taking home a unanimous decision barnburner over the gritty, Dan ‘The Hangman’ Hooker in his return to the winner’s enclosure.
Snapping an eighteen-month hiatus in January, McGregor took main event status at UFC 246, scoring a stunning forty-second knockout win over veteran one-time title challenger, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in a welterweight curtain closer.