Following their UFC 257 bout from Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are now confirmed to face off for the third time. The two MMA fighters took to social media to officially announce their UFC 264 headline fight after months of rumors.
UFC president Dana White is reportedly looking to hold the fight in Las Vegas, hoping to get a crowd in attendance despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic come July. The UFC is set to hold its upcoming UFC 261 event inside Jacksonville’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena with a capacity of 15,000 fans.
The trilogy fight will serve to put an end to the long-standing saga between McGregor and Poirier that started back in 2014 with The Notorious ending the UFC 178 meeting via TKO (punches) in just 106 seconds. McGregor would then go on to secure both the UFC Featherweight Championship and Lightweight Championship titles before stepping away from the Octagon to “retire.” Poirier would avenge his loss in their second meeting in January of this year to a noticeably different-looking Irish fighter.
It is important to note that the UFC 264 bout will not be for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship following Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s departure from the sport. Newly signed fighter Michael Chandler will be facing Charles Oliveira for the vacant title with Justin Gaethje waiting as the number one contender and the victor of McGregor vs. Poirier III to be in line for a chance at the soon to be crowned champion.
