Trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier set for UFC 264 in July
After Dustin Poirier evened things up in his series against Conor McGregor at UFC 257, the latter wasn’t coy about his desire for a rematch to settle the score once and for all. If the latest reports prove to be true, it appears as if the Irishman will get what he wants at UFC 264.
Per a report from ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on April 2, Poirier officially signed his contract to battle McGregor for the third time, with the bout reportedly set for UFC 264 on July 10, 2021.
According to Helwani, McGregor had “already agreed to the fight weeks ago.” McGregor seemed to confirm the news with a tweet a day after Helwani’s report, saying, “The fight is booked! July 10th you’re gonna see what the Mac is about.”
“[McGregor]’s completely obsessed with the rematch now and wants the fight back,” UFC president Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto early in 2021.
Poirier gave his own hint about the bout in a tweet on March 28, five days before Helwani’s report, saying “July 10th” with the diamond emoji.
The news comes as the UFC prepares for UFC 261 in April, its first card in front of a full-capacity crowd since March 14, 2020.
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McGregor indicated ahead of his UFC 257 bout against Poirier that he wanted their second fight to take place in front of a crowd at AT&T Stadium in Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, the rematch wound up taking place at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Given that UFC 264 would be the third event held since the UFC’s fan-filled event in Jacksonville, along with Texas’ loosened restrictions and the Texas Rangers’ lack of a limit on attendance to start the 2021 MLB season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see McGregor and Poirier headline an event in front of a packed house in Florida or Texas.
Poirier defeated McGregor in the second round of their fight at UFC 257 in January, with McGregor losing by knockout for the first time in his lengthy UFC career.
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McGregor took the first bout by virtue of a first-round knockout at UFC 178 in 2014, before his meteoric rise to the top of the UFC’s featherweight and lightweight divisions.
With a victory in the trilogy bout, McGregor would improve his career record to 23-5, and the Irishman would earn his first win since beating Donald Cerrone in January of 2020. For Poirier, a win would be his third in a row, and would put his record at 27-6-1.
The winner would likely also find themselves at the top of the list for a UFC Lightweight Championship opportunity, following a bout between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira for the vacant title at UFC 262 in May.
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