UFC: Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier Reportedly Finalizing Deal for Third Fight

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor faced off during UFC 257 in January in a rematch of their 2014 fight. Poirier secured a second-round knockout and tied the series at 1-1, and now the two men will potentially face off once again. They are reportedly “close” to finalizing their third fight and breaking the tie.

According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the reported trilogy fight will take place at UFC 264 on July 10. The deal is not signed as of Monday, but sources told Helwani that the agreement could be reached this week. The fight is expected to be one of “the most lucrative” in UFC history and will pit the two fighters against each other at 155 pounds. The fight will reportedly be the main event of UFC 264 and will last five rounds.

Poirier originally defeated McGregor during January’s fight, which was also 155 pounds. The original fight at UFC 178 was at 145 pounds. McGregor won the bout with a first-round TKO and secured a $50,000 bonus for one of the performances of the night.

UFC President Dana White was asked Saturday about UFC 264. He said that the plan is for the event to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with fans in attendance. White also responded to questions about Poirier vs. McGregor serving as the main event by saying: “I hope so. We all hope so.”

This report by Helwani is not the first time that there have been talks about a trilogy fight. Poirier actually mentioned the possibility after defeating McGregor. He said that a third fight interests him while also highlighting some other potential opponents.

“A rematch with Conor interests me,” Poirier said after the fight. “Always wanted to whip Nate Diaz’s a—. That interests me. In fighting, I’m sure something will make sense. But just right now, I don’t … me and Conor are 1-1. Nate Diaz got away and likes to talk a lot of s— online. I just gotta go back home, and we’ll see.”

McGregor also expressed interest in facing off with Poirier one more time. He approached his foe after the fight while noticeably limping on a “dead” leg and congratulated him on the win. McGregor then said that they would “do it again” before turning and walking away.