After weeks of negotiations and close calls, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Conor McGregor has finally put pen to paper for his Dustin Poirier rematch, expected to headline the UFC 257 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Jan. 23 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
“Notorious” confirmed the signing to ESPN following a report from The Mac Life.
McGregor (22-4) scored a technical knockout victory over Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) when they first went to war at UFC 178 roughly six years back. Since then, the power-punching Irishman went on to capture division titles at both featherweight and lightweight, but later vacated the 145-pound strap before coughing up his 155-pound crown to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“The Diamond” also moved up in weight and put together an impressive 10-2 record since losing to “Mystic Mac,” snagging the interim lightweight title along the way. Poirier, like McGregor before him, was also shut down and submitted by Nurmagomedov.
As of this writing, McGregor vs. Poirier will be a non-title fight — contested at 155 pounds — as the promotion attempts to figure out whether or not “The Eagle” is retired. Regardless, the winner is expected to land the next lightweight title shot.
The UFC 257 PPV card, which requires an ESPN+ subscription to purchase, will also feature the flyweight showdown pitting Joanne Calderwood opposite Jessica Eye, while Amanda Ribas and Michelle Waterson hook ‘em up in strawweight action.