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It's a fight that's over six years in the making. When Conor McGregor last fought Dustin Poirier, he was the UFC's fastest rising star, and both men competed in an entirely different division.
Both men have moved up, and while Dustin Poirier has been more active in recent years, he has never achieved the status of the undisputed Lightweight Champion. He came close when he faced Khabib Nurmagomedov in September 2019, but the outing turned out unsuccessful, and it was the Russian who unified the Lightweight division titles and not Dustin Poirier.
Conor McGregor wanted a fight season, but UFC seemingly delayed his return due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the empty arena shows that they have been having since May.
Conor McGregor is expected to face Dustin Poirier in early 2021. While he accepted the offer by the UFC, he demanded that they should fight in 2020. However, Dana White gave him an "all or nothing" situation, and January 23rd at UFC 257 is likely when we will see the two clash.
Conor McGregor put out a poster seemingly confirming the date for their fight:
The hunt for gold again for Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier
It won't take much for the UFC to grant Conor McGregor another title shot. Dana White was insistent on wanting to rebook Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov after the former's win at UFC 246, but Justin Gaethje ended up taking that spot instead.
It'll be interesting to see who comes out on top. Dustin Poirier has improved and has become among the best and most exciting fighters in the world. Some would argue that it's a tougher fight for Conor McGregor stylistically as well and we will see where the former Double Champion is when he tests his skills against one of the best in the world.
