Conor McGregor doesn’t look past Dustin Poirier, but “The Notorious” certainly had a big picture in mind as he prepared for their UFC 257 main event Saturday at “Fight Island”. And that big picture includes staying active and ultimately fighting for the lightweight belt.
Current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has made it clear that he plans to retire, and it seems a matter of if – not when – Nurmagomedov will step down from the belt, so Saturday’s main event has huge title implications.
ESPN has ranked Poirier No. 3 and McGregor ranked No. 10 in the world at 155 pounds. It will be McGregor’s first fight since a 40-second knockout against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January 2020, and his first time at lightweight since a 2018 loss to Nurmagomedov. McGregor and Poirier fought before, with McGregor winning a featherweight bout by first round TKO at UFC 178 in 2014.
McGregor (22-4) has won three of his past four fights, with the only loss during that period coming to Nurmagomedov in a title fight. The Irish native was the first simultaneous double champion in UFC history, winning the lightweight tie against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016 while holding the featherweight title. McGregor, 32, is the biggest moneylender in UFC history, even transcending MMA in 2017 and crossing over to boxing in a match against Floyd Mayweather.
Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) has only one defeat in his last eight fights, including against Nurmagomedov. The Louisiana native, who trains from the US top Florida team, wins a unanimous decision over Dan Hooker last June. Poirier, 32, has been 10-2 (1 NC) since that loss to McGregor in 2014 and has been a perennial contender for lightweight.
In the co-main event, former Bellator three-time lightweight champion Michael Chandler will make his highly anticipated UFC debut against Hooker. ESPN has Hooker No. 6 and Chandler No. 7 in the world on lightweight. The winner would also place himself in the title call.
Also on the card, Jessica Eye and Joanne Calderwood meet in a contest of flyweight grudge for women; Amanda Ribas takes on Marina Rodriguez in a women’s weight match; and top project Arman Tsarukyan takes on Matt Frevola in a lightweight match.
Fight in progress:
Flyweight Men: Amir Albazi (13-1, 1-0 UFC, -110) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-4, 0-1 UFC, -110)
Is yet to come:
Lightweight: Dustin Poirier (26-6 1 NC, 18-5 1 NC UFC, +250) vs. Conor McGregor (22-4, 10-2 UFC, -310)
Lightweight: Dan Hooker (20-9, 10-5 UFC, -140) vs. Michael Chandler (21-5, 0-0 UFC, +120)
Flyweight Ladies: Jessica Eye (15-8 1 NC, 5-7 1 NC UFC +100) vs. Joanne Calderwood (14-5, 6-5 UFC, -120)
Middleweight: Andrew Sanchez (13-5, 5-3 UFC, +120) vs. Makhmud Muradov (24-6, 2-0 UFC, -140)
Strawweight: Marina Rodriguez (12-1-2, 2-1-2 UFC, +260) vs. Amanda Ribas (10-1, 4-0 UFC, -330)
Lightweight: Matt Frevola (8-1-1, 2-1-1 UFC, +475) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (15-2, 2-1 UFC, -650)
Middleweight: Brad Tavares (17-7, 12-6 UFC, -125) vs. Antonio Carlos Junior (11-4 1 NC, 7-4 1 NC UFC, +105)
Women’s Bantamweight: Julianna Pena (10-4, 5-2 UFC, +110) vs. Sara McMann (12-5, 6-5 UFC, -130)
Light Heavyweight: Khalil Rountree Jr. (9-4, 2-2 UFC, -330) vs. Marcin Prachnio (13-5, 0-3 UFC, +260)
Catchweight (150lb): Movsar Evloev (13-0, 3-0 UFC, -575) vs. Nik Lentz (30-11-2 1 NC, 14-8-1 1 NC UFC +425)