Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have reportedly signed on to settle their score in a trilogy bout — just as they promised they would back in January — scheduled for July 10, according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
Dustin Poirier has officially signed his contract to fight Conor McGregor on July 10, sources say. McGregor, as we know, was already in.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 2, 2021
While it would have made sense for Poirier to be in consideration for the fight for the vacant UFC lightweight title taking place in May at UFC 262, the contender opted for what’s certain to be a nice payday against McGregor, opening spots for Charles Oliveira to face off against Michael Chandler for the belt.
The third bout between McGregor and Poirier comes after the latter used a round and a half to put McGregor down, using stifling leg kicks and precise strikes to TKO the former double champion. Poirier’s first fight against McGregor came in 2014, where he suffered a first-round knockout at the hands of the former two-division champion.
This time, both fighters see what is a clear opening in the lightweight division to earn No. 1 contender status. With Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, the gap is razor-thin between Poirier as the UFC’s top contender and McGregor, who sits behind Justin Gaethje, Oliveira, Chandler, and Tony Ferguson in the rankings.
McGregor-Poirier currently has no venue, but with states opening up certain capacity seating in the coming months, UFC president Dana White could have his choices when it comes to another blockbuster fight.
