Labels

Dana White Adamant Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor II Takes Place At Lightweight

Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger - Zuffa LLC & Esther Lin - MMA Fighting


With a rematch between former world champions, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor six years after the initial tussle at featherweight currently planned for a January 23rd. pay-per-view event - UFC president, Dana White remains firm that the re-run has to take place at a lightweight limit of 155-pounds if the winner has sights set on another title challenge in the division.

Contracts have been issued to both Poirier and McGregor for a January 23rd. showcase, expected to be billed as UFC 257 - with speculation rife in regards to what weight the clash will take place at. Poirier has recently expressed his interest in meeting either Nate Diaz or former American Top Team teammate, Colby Covington at the welterweight limit, while McGregor has thrice competed at 170-pounds in the UFC - most recently against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January.

While the pair have both agreed to meet on various forms of social media in recent weeks, the detail surrounding which limit it will be contested yet has yet to be ironed out. According to White, however, the pair will have to re-run their UFC 178 tie at lightweight if they want either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje next.

"Well, you know, we've offered the fight and we got him (Conor McGregor) his own date," White told Adam Catterall of BT Sports. "That wasn't a date [for a UFC event], that date didn't exist. We worked with ESPN, we got him his own date. And, you know - we've offered them the fight - I know the contracts haven't been signed yet. Conor's never - listen, Conor likes to play games, okay? Conor plays games and he does his thing. One thing Conor doesn't do, Conor doesn't commit to a fight and then not fight. Conor fights, you know."

"It's 155-pounds. I'm not putting on a friggin' multi-million dollar fight at a catchweight that means nothing. That fight means nothing at 170(-pounds). Neither one of those two are ranked at 170-pounds, and it doesn't do anything in the 155-pound division if either one of them win, 'cause they're fighting at 170(-pounds). It literally makes no sense. There are plenty of organizations that put on fights that make no sense, you can go watch those fights every weekend. That's not what we do here." 


Poirier, who's last Octagon appearance came at UFC Vegas 4 in June in a unanimous decision barnburner opposite Dan Hooker over a five-round headliner - has never made the welterweight limit in his thirty-three fight professional career.

 




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment