Fight update: Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier 2 – Round 2 of McGregor vs Poirier is nearly official

BY MARCEL MARIAK

Ever since the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov, there has been a vacuum of uncertainty in the UFC Lightweight Division. With the undefeated reigning champion retired, many fighters who otherwise would have steered clear of Khabib’s division are now looking for a shot at the lightweight division championship. Most notably, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, two bitter rivals whose feud dates back six years, have reentered the division looking for the belt. Rumours about a potential rematch between the two fighters have been floating around for a few weeks. Now, with talks and negotiations progressing quickly between the fighters’ teams, McGregor v. Poirier 2 is nearly official!

Bad blood
Before their first battle at UFC 178 in 2014, McGregor resorted to his trademark trash talk to wear down Poirier. Conor made a number of harsh remarks that offended Dustin. Among the insults were some iconic McGregor moments which included stating that he’ll defeat Dustin in the first round, and commenting that “when he wakes up with his nose plastered to the other side of his face, he’ll know it’s not all talk.” As the fight neared and tensions continued to rise, it became clear that then anonymity between the two fighters extended past the octagon.

In their first fight, Conor delivered on his promise to end the fight quickly by knocking out his opponent less than two minutes into the first rounds. He landed a crushing left hook to the back of Poirier’s head that left him crumbling to the floor. Conor then followed up with a few extra ground-and-pound strikes to his now unconscious foe, firmly securing a dominant victory.
After his win, McGregor showed off his victory by posting a photo of his knockout on Twitter. Despite the harsh loss, the undeterred Poirier instantly responded with “Run it back, tough guy!” Clearly, the conflict between these two warriors was far from over.

The second showdown
After the fires from their first fight died down, both Poirier and McGregor went their separate ways. For Poirier, this meant taking on several notable fighters including Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He also started the Good Fight Foundation, a charity that auctions off Dustin’s fight memorabilia to raise money for local community charities and initiatives. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor took a slightly more notorious path. He also fought a number of big UFC names like Nurmagomedov and Aldo, and also committed a few crimes to cement his legacy as a bad boy.

While tales of a McGregor – Poirier rematch had been circulating for many months, both fighters jumped on the opportunity to have a rematch once Khabib retired and loosened his iron grip on the Lightweight division. With the UFC Lightweight belt potentially hanging in the balance, Conor and Dustin took advantage of the chance to light a new fire under their careers. Initially, both hinted at having the battle happen at 170 pounds and outside the UFC; and for all proceeds to go towards Dustin’s charity. Sadly, for the Good Fight Foundation, UFC president Dana White went on the record recently and stated that a rematch between the fighters would be taking place in the UFC. He also commented that he has no intention of having the fight take place at 170 pounds. According to Dana, this is a “meaningless weight”; and any rematch would be at 155 pounds – in the lightweight division.

Recently, both of the fighters’ camps have been making strong progress in their negotiations and are nearing a final agreement. With the fight weight and host promotion established, the main point of contention between the two teams is the date of the battle. McGregor is adamant about having the fight before the new year, although whether the reasons for this preference are personal or financial is unknown. Poirier’s camp, on the other hand, is perfectly fine with having some extra time to prepare. Dana White recently commented on this subject and is leaning in favour of hosting the fight in early 2021. Currently, the most likely date for the showdown is January 23rd at UFC 257.

Although both fighters, as well as the UFC, have a few more details to iron out before the fight becomes official, Conor and Dustin have already taken to social media and began the trash talk. With both warriors confident and prepared for the battle, McGregor v. Poirier 2 is now nearly guaranteed to be a super-fight coming to the octagon soon!