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Conor McGregor is preparing for his UFC return thiis coming January, one year after his last Octagon outing.
UFC President Dana White has said that the Irishman will be facing Dustin Poirier on January 23, 2021 at UFC 257. Both the fighters have confirmed that the bout will take place at lightweight.
Conor McGregor celebrates four years of his dual championship
It has been four years since Conor McGregor sat on top of the cage at Madison Square Garden with his two UFC title belts on his shoulders.
'The Notorious' faced Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 and knocked him out in the second round to make history and become the first UFC champion to hold two belts at the same time.
McGregor shared moments of the fight on his Instagram account, saying that he has "surpassed this level, multiple times over" and he is ready to "showcase" that at UFC 257 against Dustin Poirier.
This will be the second time that McGregor goes up against Poirier. The first time they met was at UFC 178 in September 2014. The former prevailed with a first-round knockout victory in the bout, which was at featherweight.
McGregor has levelled up quite a bit since his 2016 lightweight title win over Alvarez after initially upping the ante following his 2014 bout against Poirier. He displayed exceptional moves at UFC 246 earlier this year, knocking 'Cowboy' Cerrone out in 40 seconds flat after more than a year away from the Octagon.
Conor McGregor reminisces his early days
Conor McGregor recollected the first time that he fought with Dustin Poirier, posting a picture of their face-off with a long caption.
McGregor revealed that he wore his grandfather's shoes to the face-off, and he also signed a new contract with UFC on the same day. It had payment figures in it that he had 'never seen before in his life'.
He added that he was looking forward to return and face the challenge Dustin Poirier will bring, promising to meet it with his "incredibly deep cache of weaponry".
McGregor also highlighted that he was excited about being associated with Poirier's charity, The Good Fight Foundation, a non-profit organization for underprivileged youth centered in The Diamond's hometown Lafayette, Louisiana. He said that he would match the donation for a similar deal for his own hometown as well.
As per several reports, Dustin Poirier has already signed the dotted lines for the fight. Conor McGregor is yet to do so, but has verbally agreed to the fight - both to UFC and on social media.
