Reports: Dustin Poirier signs agreement for third bout with Conor McGregor in July
Dustin Poirier’s third bout with Conor McGregor is halfway official.
Poirier, according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, signed his share of the fight agreement for the fight that is expected to take place at UFC 264 on July 10.
McGregor confirmed the news Saturday, announcing "the fight is booked" on Instagram. McGregor didn't specify who he was fighting, but said the date of the fight was July 10, which lines up with the Poirier rumors.
The location for the fight has not yet been announced, though UFC president Dana White said that the fight is targeted for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, per MMA Junkie.
McGregor first beat Poirier via a first round TKO at UFC 178 in 2014. Poirier then won their rematch in January with a second-round TKO at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi.
Many thought Poirier would attempt to claim the lightweight title with his next fight, which was left vacant after Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, though Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira will fight for that belt instead next month at UFC 262.
Poirier, who boasts a 27-6 record, has won six of his last seven bouts — with the lone loss coming at the hands of Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in 2019. McGregor has lost two of his last three, also dropping a bout to Nurmagomedov in 2018, but did beat Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in less than a minute in January 2020.
“Dustin – he wants the rematch and that’s smart. That’s what he should do,” White said last month, via MMA Junkie. “He should take the rematch, take that fight. It’s a big fight for him. The kid has worked hard his whole life, his whole career, to be in a position like this – and that’s the fight you take.
“We’ve been in positions like this with others and they made the mistake of not taking that fight, and you know – biggest mistake of their lives.”
More from Yahoo Sports:
