UFC 264: McGregor vs. Poirier III is all set for Saturday, July 10 at the T Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. But, in an interview with ESPN earlier today, Dustin Poirier told reporters that he’d asked for his trilogy fight with Conor McGregor to be held at 170lbs – a request that Dana White and the UFC denied.
“Diamond” has fought “The Notorious One” twice – once at featherweight and once at lightweight, losing the former but winning the latter, more recent bout.
It seems Poirier felt that having the third and final showdown at welterweight would spice things up a bit for the third and, likely, the final fight between the two men this coming weekend.
In the ESPN interview, Poirier said:
“I’m trying to show that January wasn’t a fluke. He’s trying to show that he’s still relevant and still wants to be the world champion at 155lbs.
“I was pushing to fight at a heavier weight, I wanted to fight at 170 I didn’t want to cut down to 155 again, but he wanted to do it at 155.
“The UFC wanted it at 155, so I know what that means, it means that the winner of this fight is going to fight for the belt.”
Will McGregor Fight at Welterweight?
“I’m a block at 170 guys. Give me till end of year at this 155 weight. I’ll get the strap and then I’ll go up again.”
“I’m a block at 170 guys,” McGregor told fans on social media. “Give me till end of year at this 155 weight. I’ll get the strap and then I’ll go up again.”
Dustin Poirier: “That’s a Dangerous Man, Right There!”
Poirier also commended his Irish opponent for continuing to step foot in the Octagon despite his wild financial success of late.
McGregor pocketed $180 in 2020 alone ($18 million from the UFC). The Irishman amassed more cash even than soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, not to mention Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, to rank No.1 on the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. The success continued into the current year: in 2021, McGregor sold his Proper Twelve Irish whiskey company for $600 million.
“The thing with Conor,” Poirier said. “Is that when I think about his approach to this fight or fighting in general is that the man doesn’t have to fight, you know he’s got money, he doesn’t have to work a day in his life.
“He’s doing this not because he has to but because he wants to, and that shows me that he’s motivated and he’s not going out there to collect a cheque or lose.
“He’s not just showing up for work, he wants to show the world that he’s the best and that motivates me to show up at my best because that’s a dangerous man right there.”
Winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor III Set for Title Shot
Dustin Poirier (27-6-0) has beaten some of the biggest names in MMA: Conor McGregor, Max Holloway x2, Justin Gaethje, to name but a few. But the Lousiana native is still hunting for his first undisputed UFC title. Poirier held the interim belt for a minute in 2019 but fell short of undisputed honors when he was beaten by Khabib Nurmagomdeov at UFC 236.
The recently retired “Eagle” also boasts a submission win over Poirier’s next opponent Conor McGregor (UFC 229).
With the UFC deciding that Poirier vs McGregor must take place at lightweight, it now seems all but nailed on that the winner of this upcoming UFC 264 bout will meet Charles Oliviera later in the year for a shot at the title.
