If you’ve followed the UFC for a while, you know that former, two-division champion, Conor McGregor (22-4), likes to do things his own way in the UFC. Well, he has done it again.
Conor McGregor originally took to Twitter inviting Dustin Poirier (26-6) to take part in a charity fight outside of the UFC. It wasn’t long before the organization stepped in, regaining control of the fight that fans desperately wanted to see.
What makes this fight interesting, besides the fact that it is Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, is the fact that the two shared the octagon at UFC 178 in 2014. At the time, Poirier, who was the No. 5-ranked contender, had the most wins and most finishes in UFC featherweight history.
None of that mattered to Conor McGregor, who was the No. 7-ranked contender. He impressively stopped Poirier in his tracks and won the fight via a first-round TKO at 1:46.
Now, fast forward six years, the odds look a lot different for Poirier who has won 10 of his last 13 fights. In 2018, Dustin Poirier defeated former UFC lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez, in the second round via TKO. In 2019, he became the interim UFC lightweight champion after his unanimous decision, win over Max Holloway, who at the time, was the reigning featherweight champion.
Dustin Poirier, also has a TKO victory over Justin Gaethje, who is currently the interim UFC lightweight champion. Gaethje is set to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 on October 24.
In June, Poirier defeated up and coming lightweight contender, Dan Hooker (20-9), via unanimous decision. Although he lost the unification fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, this victory over Hooker proves that Poirier still belongs at the top of the lightweight division.
Conor McGregor, who has been less active than Dustin Poirier since their last bout, will still bring his own set of challenges for the No. 2-ranked contender. Since they last fought, Conor McGregor has gone 6-2 of his last eight fights. Out of these six wins, his second bout against Nate Diaz, was his only victory to go to decision.
Dustin Poirier took to Twitter to discuss how he will use the charity money: “We will use the donation to open a Boxing/MMA Academy on the side of town me and @dc_mma grew up and where the tuition for the kids will be good grades.”
The fight is set for January 23. The location has yet to be determined. Conor McGregor expressed his desire to have the fight at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.