Conor McGregor’s Next Fight: Dustin Poirier Rematch Targeted For Summer 2021

It might not be long before Conor McGregor is back inside the octagon. After being knocked out by Dustin Poirier on Jan. 24, the UFC’s biggest star wants his revenge.

According to UFC President Dana White, McGregor and Poirier are expected to square off again before 2021 is over. McGregor’s next fight is being targeted for the summer.

McGregor beat Poirier at UFC 178 in September 2014, making the potential upcoming bout the rubber match in their rivalry.

“Well, when you have two guys that are in their position—Dustin is the No. 1 ranked guy in the world, you got Conor who’s ranked No. 6, and they want the trilogy, you got to go with the trilogy,” White said on ESPN’s “Get Up” Friday morning. “We’re probably going to try to put that fight together this summer.”

Poirier upset McGregor, who entered their most recent bout as a heavy favorite, with a second-round stoppage. It was McGregor’s first fight in a year and just his third MMA fight since November 2016.

“If you look at Conor, if you look at the way he fought, the leg kicks that he was eating, the stance he was in, he was completely overlooking Dustin Poirier,” White said. “I’m not taking anything away from Poirier, but when you pull in on a super yacht [in Abu Dhabi] and you’re living the life that Conor lives, you need to be hungry and you need to take every guy serious.”

Since losing to McGregor more than six years ago, Poirier has gone 11-2 in the UFC. His only loss in the last four and a half years came at the hands of lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov is undefeated in 29 professional fights, including a fourth-round submission win over McGregor in 2018.

White told ESPN that McGregor is “obsessed” with getting his rematch against Poirier. There had been speculation that McGregor’s next fight could be against Nate Diaz, with whom the Irish fighter has also split two bouts.

Headlined by McGregor and Poirier, UFC 257 generated 1.6 million global pay-per-view buys, Sports Business Journal reported.