It’s a done deal. On Saturday, UFC star Conor McGregor confirmed that he had signed on for a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on July 10. The fight will be the rubber match in their career series, which is currently tied at one fight a piece.
The development should not come as a shock. Previously, it was reported that Poirier had signed a bout agreement for the fight. The date and pairing were first reported by Adjarasport’s Giorgi Kokiashvili.
Cageside Press subsequently confirmed the booking with a source close to the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity. The fight is expected to headline the UFC 264 card, which will be the crown jewel of this year’s International Fight Week.
While the location of the event has not officially been announced, past the upcoming Florida and Texas shows, there have been no revelations as to the UFC hitting the road. The UFC Apex in Las Vegas remains a strong possibility for the date.
McGregor (22-5) and Poirier (27-6, 1NC) first met in 2014, when the pair both competed in the featherweight division. McGregor won that first meeting, at UFC 178, via first round TKO. He would go on to win both the featherweight and lightweight titles in the promotion, then jump to the boxing world for a money fight with Floyd Mayweather.
Poirier, meanwhile, would win the UFC’s interim lightweight title while McGregor’s efforts were focused elsewhere. After coming up short against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019, Poirier then bounced back against Dan Hooker last year. That led to a rematch with McGregor at January’s UFC 257, at lightweight. After withstanding a barrage in the early going, Poirier finished the former double-champ by TKO in the second round, thanks to a smart game plan with plenty of leg kicks.
A rubber match has been speculated on ever since. Poirier was confirmed to have turned down a title shot in favor of the rematch, news released by none other than UFC President Dana White. With all parties interested, it’s no surprise to see the booking made for July 10.
With the addition of McGregor vs. Poirier 3, the UFC 264 card now breaks down as follows:
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier
Jessica Eye vs. Jennifer Maia
Ryan Hall vs. Ilia Topuria
Jerome Rivera vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
Omari Akhmedov vs. Brad Tavares
Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson
