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On Wednesday afternoon, UFC superstar Conor McGregor announced on Twitter that he was accepting a fight against Dustin Poirier on January 23. A few days back, “Notorious” said that he was willing to fight “The Diamond,” however it had to be in 2020.
But, according to UFC president Dana White, there is no room for McGregor on the remaining pay-per-view fight cards in 2020. The promotion’s president offered McGregor the opportunity to fight Poirier on January 23, 2021.
“We offered him a fight, we got him his own date,” White told ESPN. “We didn’t have a date this year. We have everything laid out for this year, with world champions fighting for titles. He wants to fight Dustin Poirier apparently, so we went to [broadcast partner] ESPN and got him his own date. He’s been offered Dustin Poirier on Jan. 23.”
Hours after the interview was shared by ESPN, McGregor took to Twitter to accept White’s offer. He also stated that he wants to fight to happen in Arlington, Texas, at the AT&T Stadium, formerly known as Cowboys Stadium.
He tweeted, “I accept, Jan 23rd is on! My goal is to see this fight take place in Cowboy stadium. Proper Style! Jerry Jones is a friend and the stadium can hold our crowd. I will be ready for Texas and Texas will be ready for my fans! Then Manny.#McGregorSportsandEntertainment.”
I accept, Jan 23rd is on!
My goal is to see this fight take place in Cowboy stadium. Proper Style! Jerry Jones is a friend and the stadium can hold our crowd. I will be ready for Texas and Texas will be ready for my fans!
Then Manny. #McGregorSportsandEntertainment
Notorious has been vocal about wanting to box Manny Pacquiao after his fight with Poirier, as well.
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McGregor & Poirier Is a Rematch Years in the Making
On September 27, 2014, McGregor and Poirier stepped into the Octagon to compete in a featherweight match during UFC 178. At this point, Notorious was in the midst of his ascension to featherweight gold, winning all three of his previous UFC matches.
The Diamond was also on a three-fight winning streak, and the victor of the fight was poised to move up the rankings toward a shot at the title.
Notorious put on a spectacular performance, finishing Poirier in the first-round via TKO. Three fights later, Notorious was the undisputed featherweight king.
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Notorious & The Diamond Are Both in the Top 5 of Lightweight, Winner Could Receive Next Title Shot
Six years removed from their match and both fighters have earned massive success in the Octagon. After losing to McGregor, Poirier moved up to the lightweight division, winning nine fights and earning the interim lightweight belt in April 2019.
After defeating Poirier, McGregor went on to win both the lightweight and featherweight titles, in 2016 and 2015, respectively.
The Diamond is currently ranked No. 2 in the lightweight division and Notorious is at No. 5. Should the two fighters meet in January, the winner could earn a title shot against the winner of October 24’s fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
Both McGregor and Poirier’s last loss came at the hands of Nurmagomedov and they may have a chance at the Russian fighter again should they earn a victory on January 23, 2021.
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Conor McGregor Agrees to UFC’s Offer: ‘I Accept’