Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Although already listed on Sherdog Fight Finder, and
confirmed several times over by
Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White, the ink
has finally dried for the big fight. On Thursday morning,
The Mac Life announced that Conor
McGregor (22-4) and Dustin
Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) have signed their bout agreements to face
one another again at
UFC 257. The two will square off on Jan. 23 at the Flash Forum
on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. They will meet
for the second time, and over six years removed from their first
pairing at UFC 178 in 2014, where McGregor won by first-round
knockout.
The official signing by both parties puts an end to negotiations
that included potentially shifting the contest to headline UFC 256
on Dec. 12. While they had both verbally agreed to the matchup
earlier in November, both men have signed the bout agreement to
finalize the clash. This rematch
initially came about in September when McGregor and Poirier
attempted to fight one another for charity, until the promotion
offered them an official match.
Since facing off at UFC 178, the two have both earned UFC gold.
McGregor has competed eight times, where he captured the
featherweight strap from Jose Aldo in
2015 and then the lightweight throne in 2016. McGregor relinquished
both titles before attempting to defend them. After leaving the
sport for nearly two years to box Floyd
Mayweather Jr., McGregor returned to try to earn his old belt
back from Khabib
Nurmagomedov, only to be submitted in the fourth round with a
neck crank. Since then, McGregor has competed once, knocking out
Donald
Cerrone in January at 170 pounds. This matchup with Poirier
will take place at lightweight.
Poirier has fought 13 times since his loss to McGregor, and he also
won a belt in the form of the interim lightweight crown after
taking a hard-fought decision over Max
Holloway in 2019. His attempt to unify it was ultimately
unsuccessful when he too ran into Nurmagomedov, and he too lost by
submission. “The Diamond” bounced back from the loss to
Nurmagomedov by trumping Dan Hooker
after a thrilling five-round battle in June. Betting lines
currently see McGregor as a -220 favorite over his former foe
Poirier (+180).
UFC 257 on Jan. 23 will bring the company back to “Fight Island”
with a pay-per-view, and McGregor vs. Poirier will headline but
will not be for any gold, per White. Other bouts slotted on the
card include a pivotal women’s strawweight tilt between Michelle
Waterson and Amanda
Ribas, while Jessica Eye
locks horns with Joanne
Calderwood at women’s flyweight.
