Dana White clarifies that Dustin Poirier chose Conor McGregor trilogy over UFC lightweight title fight
Dana White has clarified that Dustin Poirier chose the Conor McGregor trilogy fight over the UFC lightweight title fight.
According to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, UFC president Dana White told him that Dustin Poirier was indeed offered the opportunity to fight for the UFC lightweight title.
Following Dustin Poirier’s big win over Conor McGregor in their rematch earlier this year, The Diamond was given the choice of competing in a UFC lightweight title fight next.
However, Poirier decided to pursue the trilogy matchup against McGregor instead. As a result, the UFC booked a fight between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, with the vacant UFC lightweight title at stake at UFC 262 (May 15th, 2021).
Aaron Bronsteter put forth a tweet regarding what was said to him by Dana White about Dustin Poirier's preference.
“Dana White told me that Dustin Poirier was offered a shot at the lightweight title and decided to pursue the Conor McGregor rematch instead.”
The first fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor was contested at featherweight. McGregor defeated Poirier via first-round TKO at UFC 178 in September 2014.
However, the rematch between Poirier and McGregor was contested at lightweight and saw Poirier beat McGregor via second-round TKO at UFC 257 in January 2021.
Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, who are set to fight for the vacant UFC lightweight title next, are riding high on brilliant performances in their most recent fights.
Charles Oliveira’s last fight was a dominant unanimous decision win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 in December 2020. On the other hand, Michael Chandler’s last fight, his UFC debut, was a first-round TKO win over Dan Hooker at UFC 257 in January 2021.
The winner of Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 3 could go on to fight for the UFC lightweight title
The vast majority of MMA fans and experts believe that the winner of the upcoming trilogy matchup between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor could fight for the UFC lightweight title next. In other words, the winner of Poirier vs. McGregor 3 would likely end up facing the winner of Oliveira vs Chandler for the UFC lightweight title.
Needless to say, the Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor trilogy fight has serious title implications. Nevertheless, apart from its significance with regard to a future UFC lightweight title shot, the trilogy fight is also incredibly important from an economic perspective.
The consensus is that the third fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor could be one of the highest-grossing fights in combat sports history. The fight is likely to transpire in July 2021.