Is the Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier trilogy bout officially canceled?
No, the rubber match between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier is officially still on. Despite the confidence with which Conor McGregor tweeted that the fight was off, the UFC has not released any official statement about the alleged cancelation.
Furthermore, both Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have confirmed that they signed a contract to fight in the main event of UFC 264 on July 10. Having signed on the dotted lines, both McGregor and Poirier are bound by the contract. Although there are cases where fighters fall out of fights, having a personal problem with the opponent may not be on the list of exceptions that allow a fight to be canceled. In fact, it should encourage the fight more than anything.
What made Conor McGregor claim that the fight with Dustin Poirier stands canceled?
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier engaged in a verbal battle on Twitter. In a jab at McGregor, 'The Diamond' revealed that the former has not yet carried through with his promise of donating to The Good Fight Foundation, Poirier's charity organization.
Conor McGregor responded with the claim that Dustin Poirier's organization had failed to describe the process and allocation of funds. Dustin Poirier refuted this claim, saying that his team had reached out to McGregor's with a detailed plan, but to no avail.
Conor McGregor then Tweeted out a rant, making it quite clear that he was annoyed with the whole series of events. He wrote:
"You’re ripped... Why do you wink with your ears? You f***ing brain dead hillbilly. 500k with no plan in place. Ye hang tight. Fool. You must be new to money. The fight is off btw. I’m going to fight someone else on the 10th. Good luck on your old contract kid."
And just like that, 'The Notorious One' called off a fight that he himself had been looking forward to the most. Conor McGregor began rallying for a rubber match after Dustin Poirier handed him the first KO loss of his career.
The two met at UFC 257 in January 2021. This was Conor McGregor's first bout at lightweight after his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2018. On the other hand, Conor McGregor last fought Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January 2020 at 170 lbs.
Dustin Poirier was able to take out the Irishman by knocking him out in the second round. Combined with Conor McGregor's win over Poirier at UFC 178, where he knocked him out in the first round, the two are now even at a score of 1-1.
The UFC met Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier's demands for a trilogy fight, something that Conor had shown the utmost enthusiasm for.
Yet, this new twist in the plot flings the futures of both fighters into uncertainty. Do you think the fight will officially be cancelled? Let us know in the comments section.