Conor McGregor a -180 favorite vs Dustin
Poirier (+155).— Dave Mason (@DaveMasonBOL)
October 15, 2020
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 the
Ultimate Fighting Championship rematch between Conor
McGregor and Dustin
Poirier is far from official, betting lines have opened. On Thursday, BetOnline opened a line on the prospective McGregor
(22-4) vs. Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) bout. The two have accepted the
bout through a cordial
Twitter exchange, but UFC President Dana White
stood hard-and-fast about the date of their meeting.
Should they actually lock horns, it would take place on Jan. 23 and
not other previously mentioned dates like Nov. 21, Dec. 12 or Dec.
19. There has not been a venue, location or even an official
announcement that the Jan.
23 event will be held. It would be expected to be a
pay-per-view card should it come to fruition, likely titled UFC
257.
McGregor, who won their first matchup in 2014 by first-round
knockout in under two minutes, opened as a -185 favorite. A
prospective bettor would need to place $185 on “Notorious” to win
$100 if McGregor prevailed. The comeback on Poirier is currently
+160, although the lines will be fully expected to change as
information develops. Should someone put $100 on Poirier, they
would make an additional $160 if Poirier won.
Although the two did agree to square off on Twitter, they did not
decide on a weight class. Three of McGregor’s last five MMA bouts
have taken place at 170 pounds, while “The Diamond” has never set
foot in that weight category. The Irishman started his UFC career
at featherweight, taking seven fights in at 145 pounds until moving
up to chase the lightweight title. Like his opponent, Poirier
started in the UFC as a featherweight and stayed there for 11 UFC
bouts upon his relocation from World Extreme Cagefighting to the UFC in 2011.
The knockout to McGregor prompted Poirier to shift back up to his
previous division.
McGregor last fought in January, where he battered Donald
Cerrone and finished the job with a head kick in 40 seconds.
The bout was his first since 2018, when he competed for the
lightweight strap at UFC 229. Like Poirier, McGregor was submitted
in the later rounds by Nurmagomedov. The pairing with Nurmagomedov
was McGregor’s first since 2016, as the Irishman decided to test
his craft in the boxing ring. McGregor lost to Floyd
Mayweather by knockout in the 10th round.
Former interim lightweight titleholder Poirier rebounded from a
2016 loss to Michael
Johnson to go on a tear. Along the way, Poirier waded through a
proverbial murderer’s row of opponents including Jim Miller,
Anthony
Pettis, Justin
Gaethje, Eddie
Alvarez and Max
Holloway to work his way to the belt. Winning the interim strap
by defeating Holloway, Poirier failed to unify it against Khabib
Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in 2019. “The Diamond” bounced back
from that defeat by engaging in an all-out five-round battle with
Dan
Hooker, where he took home a unanimous decision. Poirier has
earned post-fight bonus money in six of his last eight fights.
