Third times a charm, at least it will be for one of these fighters.
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are back, for the conclusion to their ultimate trilogy.
McGregor is already a household name, but for Poirier, the trilogy with McGregor, might just be his lasting legacy.
The two originally met on September 27th in 2014 at UFC 178. McGregor took the win with a TKO in the first round of Poirier. This was the very first time Poirier had been stopped by a strike, after the match, Poirier stated this as a turning point for him, moving a weight class to the lightweight division.
From the bout, Poirier then went on to face Carlos Ferreira in a lightweight bout in 2015, winning by a KO in the first round. He then went on to claim victories over Yancy Medeiros, Joseph Duffy and Bobby Green.
Fast forward to 2018, Poirier extended his contract with the UFC, going onto win against Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez. Which led to 2010 and Poirier’s first shot at a featherweight belt, against former champion, Max Holloway. Poirier took the win by unanimous decisions to earn the title and broke Holloway’s 13 fight streak. In January 2021, Poirier and McGregor faced each other once again in UFC 257, Poirier became the first person to defeat McGregor by knockout.
The biggest name in UFC, McGregor announced his retirement in June 2020 after becoming frustrated at problems arranging bouts due to the Covid-19 pandemic clashes with the UFC. But it seems the excitement machine is back in action and ready to take on the current interim champion.
Poirier put forward a late option, asking if McGregor wanted to move up a weight class. McGregor, who has been calling out the welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, quickly declined.
It’ll go ahead as planned Sunday 11 July, with the two looking to close out the battle for once and all.
MAIN CARD
Lightweight Bout
Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor
UNDER CARD
TBC