According to ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC is looking to book the rematch between Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier for their upcoming Calgary card in July.
UFC 211 was marred by a bit of controversy when the Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier fight in the prelims ended in a No Contest. It all stemmed from the illegal knee strike that Alvarez threw on Poirier, who at the time was deemed a grounded opponent.
While both fighters went on to win their succeeding matchups since then, there has yet to be a resolution on their own. But according to a report by ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto, it could all be settled at the UFC’s upcoming FOX card in Calgary, Canada on July 28th.
Not official, but I’m hearing UFC is interested in doing the Alvarez/Poirier rematch in Calgary on July 28. That’s a heck of a main event if it comes together.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 1, 2018
Okamoto also noted that while Poirier is already on board with the idea, the main hurdle to finalizing this fight is on Alvarez’s side, as he has merely one fight left in his contract.
Regarding potential Alvarez/Poirier 2 on July 28, I’m told Poirier is open to it, in fact it might be the only non-title fight he’d be open to this summer. The question is Alvarez’s UFC contract. He’s on last fight of deal, expected to talk seriously with UFC in next week or two.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 1, 2018
Alvarez last fought at UFC 218 in December, where he knocked out Justin Gaethje in the third round. Poirier, meanwhile, has since fought twice, scoring a third-round TKO win over Anthony Pettis last November, and a fourth-round TKO win over Gaethje in April. Both fights also earned him $50,000 bonuses for Fight of the Night.