Who is Conor McGregor fighting in July 2021?
Conor McGregor is scheduled to face long-time foe Dustin Poirier on July 11, 2021. The lightweight bout will also serve as the headliner for the UFC 264 pay-per-view event, which will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have previously faced each other on two occasions and currently sport a 1-1 record.
The two first met in a featherweight matchup at UFC 178, which was Conor McGregor's fourth fight in the UFC. The Irishman had already shown star caliber and entered the bout as a sizeable -260 favorite.
McGregor would justify the odds by knocking out Dustin Poirier at 01:46 in the opening round. This was also Poirier's last UFC fight at featherweight.
Conor McGregor faced Dustin Poirier for the second time at UFC 257, this time at lightweight.
'The Diamond' was expected to pose a much bigger threat this time as he had significantly evolved since his last fight against the Irishman.
Dustin Poirier put on a striking masterclass, decimating Conor's lead leg with vicious calf kicks which would turn out to be the decisive factor in the fight.
After stifling McGregor's mobility, Dustin Poirier finished 'The Notorious One' with strikes at 02:32 in round 2.
Conor McGregor immediately called for a rematch
The second bout between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier was a highly anticipated matchup, with UFC president Dana White even suggesting the return of Khabib Nurmagomedov was possible depending on the winner's performance.
Although 'The Eagle' wasn't impressed enough to make a return to the octagon, the result and success of the PPV certainly warranted a rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
McGregor was the first to propose the rubber match and it was unlikely that the UFC's biggest star would be denied one. In the aftermath of his loss at UFC 257, Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh told Ariel Helwani of ESPN -
"He's already harassing everybody to get the rematch. We would love the rematch. I doubt that Dustin is against that. If we could get the rematch before the summer, that will be amazing. If it's not to be, well, then I guess I don't really know. Maybe he drifts off into boxing."