One of the most controversial UFC fights in recent years will finally get run back at UFC Calgary.
At UFC 211 a year ago in Dallas, Eddie Alvarez met Dustin Poirier in the octagon for the first time. The end result was something of a mess, however. Alvarez, who had been on the losing end of the fight for a good part of the first two rounds, threw a couple of knees that he believed to be legal. The blows were deemed illegal, however, as Poirier was a downed opponent for at least one or two of them. Ref Herb Dean ruled the blows accidental, and Alvarez vs. Porier was ruled a No Contest.
Alvarez suggested running it back following the fight, but despite a lot of back-and-forth between the fighters, a rematch never manifested. Until now.
See you in Calgary @DustinPoirier best of luck my friend 👊🏻@ufc
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) May 10, 2018
MMA Fighting was among several outlets confirming the lightweight rematch was finally set for UFC Calgary. Alvarez himself also tweeted the news, though there was a bit of confusion as Poirier had previously set a deadline to get the fight done, which has since passed. That said, it appears Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 is a go. Poirier later confirmed the fight was on.
See you there! 😘 https://t.co/AylVVutl71
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) May 11, 2018
Poirier (23–5 (1)), of course, is coming off a Fight of the Year candidate against Justin Gaethje in April that saw him score a come-from-behind finish. ‘Diamond’ now has back-to-back wins over former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis as well as Poirier, and is in his best position in years, quite frankly.
Alvarez (29–5 (1)), meanwhile, is the other man to best Gaethje in the UFC. He hasn’t fought since that Fight of the Night effort at UFC 218, as he was looking to get a new deal done with the UFC.
UFC Calgary, a.k.a. UFC on FOX 30, takes place July 28 at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stepens and Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Tecia Torres also feature on what is quickly becoming a stacked card.
