LAS VEGAS, NV – AUGUST 27: Conor McGregor attends his after fight party and his Wynn Nightlife residency debut at the Encore Beach Club at Night at Wynn Las Vegas on August 27, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Wynn Nightlife) | Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Wynn Nightlife
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier went from a charity mixed martial arts (MMA) fight, to a potential November showdown, to complete radio silence within a week.
Conor McGregor … where are you?
Hey @TheNotoriousMMA what’s up
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) October 8, 2020
“I don’t really know, honestly, what’s going on with the whole situation,” Poirier told UFC Unfiltered abut his McGregor contract negotiations. “Of course I would take the fight. I would fight him, I would fight Tony (Ferguson), I just want big fights and I think that’s what’s coming. I would like to fight again this year. We’ll see. I haven’t heard back from negotiation side of the UFC or Conor, but it’s a new week and I’m hoping to hear something.”
Contracts were distributed early last week and Poirier was quick to put pen to paper. McGregor, however, who sounded so eager to rematch “The Diamond” after putting him away at UFC 178 back in late 2014, went quiet until Wednesday afternoon.
“Hello Dustin! I accepted the offer to fight you, but told them it must happen in 2020,” McGregor wrote on Twitter. “I’m ready for Nov 21st, given that cards recent injury issues, as well as any of the December dates, the 12th and the 19th. I’ll also still donate the $500k to The Good Fight Foundation.”
The contract for McGregor-Poirier 2 was originally inked for January, according to Yahoo! Sports.
“I want to fight this year. I want to fight before the new year,” Poirier said (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “I don’t know about (this) fight but somebody. I want to fight somebody. If something else falls through or doesn’t come together, I want to fight. I’ve been fighting since 2007 and I’ve never fought one time in a 12-month period. I’ve only got one fight in this year. I’m healthy, I’m training, I’m fit, I want to scrap. I’m ready right now. Tomorrow. Knock on the door, we can go right now.”
We’ll have to wait and see what the check writers have to say about that.