"He made the absolute right decision" – Dana White explains why Dustin Poirier was right in choosing Conor McGregor trilogy fight over imminent title shot
UFC president Dana White has defended Dustin Poirier, who received criticism for choosing the more lucrative trilogy bout with Conor McGregor over pursuing the lightweight title. In an interview with MMA Junkie, the UFC boss said Poirier displayed sound decision-making given where he's at in his career.
"[Dustin Poirier] was criticized by a lot of people for taking this fight instead of the title fight. He made the absolute right decision. This is a fight that as long as he is fighting, all the things that he's accomplished, the great things that he has done, a lot of people still don't know who he is. You know what I mean?"
As far as Dana White is concerned, fighting the biggest star in MMA is more beneficial to Dustin Poirier than competing for the UFC lightweight title. He added:
"And for him, win, lose, or draw Saturday night, a lot more people are gonna know him. This is the fight to take. He wins this fight, he's the number one contender anyway. He couldn't have played this any better that he did."
White has previously announced that the winner of Poirier vs. McGregor 3 will be given the opportunity to challenge UFC lightweight king Charles Oliveira. But Poirier could have fought for the championship sooner when Khabib Nurmagomedov vacated the title in March.
Watch Dana White defend Dustin Poirier's decision:
Dana White says Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3 is the 'perfect fight'
UFC 264 will take place on Saturday, July 10, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The blockbuster pay-per-view will mark the octagon's return to the fight capital of the world. It will be the first UFC event in over a year in Las Vegas with a live crowd present.
Dana White is thrilled that the UFC's official return to its home city will be fittingly headlined by the promotion's biggest star. In an interview with TheMacLife, White said:
"It's the perfect fight it's one of those trilogy fights. People love trilogies. What Conor did to Poirier the first fight. What Poirier did to Conor the second fight. These guys are both in the position right now, if they win on Saturday night, for a title shot. I mean there's so much on the line."
Watch Dana White's full interview below: