When Dustin
Poirier publicly shamed Conor
McGregor for not following through on his promised $500,000
donation to his charity, The Good Fight Foundation, it sparked some
bitter back-and-forth between the two lightweight stars.
It escalated so much that McGregor claimed to be seeking a new
opponent for his next Octagon appearance. However, it appears the
trilogy bout will move forward, as Dana White officially announced
that UFC 264 will take place in front of a capacity crowd at the
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be headlined by Poirier and
McGregor.
Shortly after that announcement, Poirier released a statement in
which he expressed regret for calling out McGregor over the
donation, which the Irish star promised to make after their bout at
UFC 257 in January.
“I am very passionate about my charity as you all know,” Poirier
wrote on Twitter. “I jumped the gun and took my private matters
between Conor and my foundation public. My mistake, we live, we
learn. Spreading positivity and doing good is my goal.
“I feel like I have brought a negative energy and personal opinions
into something I am working so hard on that gives people a reason
to cheer and smile. I will take this in stride and continue to
fight the good fight! New goal coming soon and it is a big one.
Thank you to all who is involved and all the supporters who believe
in our vision.”
1-1 July 10th we will settle the score!
Excited for the Trilogy with @TheNotoriousMMA
but wanted to address this first. pic.twitter.com/03GaPPSfeH— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier)
April 14, 2021
In the past, Poirier’s charity has used fight gear auctioned off
from his bouts to support a number of causes, including digging
wells for the Batwa Pigmy Tribe in Uganda, a Thanksgiving food
drive for shelters in Acadiana, La., and providing school supplies
for children, to name a few. Fighters such as Khabib
Nurmagomedov and Max
Holloway have provided their own apparel from bouts against
Poirier to aid the cause.