BEVERLY HILLS, April 04, (THEWILL) – On Saturday, January 23, 2021, the former two-weight world champion Irish mixed martial artist, Conor McGregor, was left stunned on his return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). His American opponent Dustin Poirier beat him resoundingly in their UFC 257 rematch after all the hype he had made about doing the double on the American.
It was McGregor’s third time coming back to active fighting after retiring twice before and he came intending to square it out against fellow 32-year-old Poirier at the Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
McGregor had knocked Poirier out quickly in a featherweight contest in 2014 during the former’s meteoric UFC rise, but the American’s savage leg kicks secured a TKO win over the Irishman when the two met at that January rematch bout in the lightweight division in Abu Dhabi.
Poirier, a southpaw, did not make the mistake of replying McGregor shot-for-shot. He took the rather tactical route of delivering a series of what must have been well-practiced leg kicks which were very effective in destabilising the Irishman. Then, the American pounced on him midway through the second round to take his record to 27-6 with a strong victory.
The victorious Poirier said afterwards: “We’re 1-1 – maybe we have to do it again.”
That is exactly what will now take place. McGregor is set for a third fight against the first man to knock him out and he shared the news on Twitter with the words: “The fight is booked! July 10th you’re gonna see what the Mac is about.”
However, their third meeting, as high profile as it will turn out, will not be aimed at the lightweight title, which became vacant with the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov, as the title bout is already booked and will be filled when Michael Chandler takes on Charles Oliveira in Houston, Texas on Saturday, May 15.
The details absent from McGregor’s tweet such as the venue have not also not been confirmed by the UFC, but it will most likely take place in Las Vegas, Nevada as the centre-piece of the promotion’s annual International Fight Week for the UFC.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
