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UFC superstar Conor McGregor could be on his way facing Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier next in an unexpected but exciting UFC rematch between two of the most popular MMA fighters on the planet.
Poirier revealed via social media on Saturday that he’s willing to face McGregor in either the lightweight or welterweight division, and that he told the UFC that, too.
UFC president Dana White had already revealed to UFC Arabia’s Farah Hannoun on Friday that Poirier had signed his part of the deal to face McGregor and that all the UFC was waiting for was McGregor signing his part of the agreement.
So McGregor vs. Poirier 2 might still be on its way, and it looks like McGregor will be the one to decide whether it’s a lightweight or welterweight bout.
Lightweight or Welterweight?
While Poirier is currently ranked near the top of the UFC’s 155-pound lightweight rankings and both he and McGregor have won UFC gold there, McGregor preferred to face his last lightweight opponent in the UFC’s 170-pound welterweight division.
That was only McGregor’s third fight in the weight class in his career overall, but McGregor seems to have taken to the idea of fighting other lightweights in the division just north of there like he did against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 246 in January.
Indeed, McGregor’s longtime coach John Kavanaugh seemed to poke fun at the idea recently of two fighters who weigh about the same without needlessly cutting weight off their bodies still going to all the trouble for basically no reason.
1 – hey you look about 170lbs we should fight
2 – yeah i am, sounds good!
some guy – hey you know what would make this fight interesting? if you both cut 15lbs 24hrs before the fight then went back to exactly the same weight you both were before.
That would surely be the case for McGregor vs. Poirier. Without UFC gold at stake in the fight and the winner virtually guaranteed to become the 155-pound division’s top contender anyway, there would be virtually no reason for the fighters to trim down to the UFC’s lightweight limit.
McGregor vs. Poirier 2 Betting Odds Released
Odds for the fight have already started popping up, and it appears the bookies like McGregor to repeat his win over Poirier.
Odds are now available for a Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch:
Conor McGregor -220 (5/11)
Dustin Poirier +185 (37/20)
(via @betonline_ag) 🇮🇪 💎
McGregor is the early favorite. The Irishman stopped Poirier in the first round in 2014 at UFC 178. But both fighters have become superstars since that date, so a rematch between the two now makes a ton of sense six years later.
That’s especially the case since neither has any other fight lined up at the moment, at least under the UFC’s promotional banner.
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Boxing Match and Charity Fight Might Spoil UFC’s Plans
According to ESPN, McGregor prefers facing 8-time boxing champion Manny Pacquiao in a boxing match over any fight.
Yes, that includes facing Poirier in the UFC.
Moreover, the Irish superstar recently asked Poirier to compete against him in a charity MMA rematch that McGregor would promote.
It’s possible McGregor would still choose to promote his charity bout against Poirier instead of allowing the UFC to get involved.
Regardless, UFC president Dana White offered McGregor and Poirier the chance to fight each other in a legit UFC rematch, so most UFC fans are probably hoping that’s the fight that happens.
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