Conor McGregor

After falling short at UFC 269, what’s next for Dustin Poirier?

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This past weekend at UFC 269, the undisputed lightweight title was on the line. Dustin Poirier (28-7, 1 NC) was looking to finally get his hands on undisputed gold when he took on Charles Oliveira (32-8).

For Dustin Poirier, the fight couldn’t have started better at UFC 269. The former interim champion dropped Oliveira and hurt him a couple of times in the first round. Things were going according to plan.

However, the second round saw the momentum completely shift. After a grappling exchange, Poirier found himself on the bottom. Fearful of the submission game of Oliveira, Poirier rode out the round on bottom while eating plenty of elbows.

In the third round, Oliveira charged forward and forced another grappling exchange. This time, the UFC champion was able to immediately get the back of Dustin Poirier.

Once there, the fight was essentially over. Oliveira started attacking a rear-naked choke and was able to lock one in. Poirier tried to fight it off but was forced to tap as Oliveira successfully defended his UFC lightweight title.

What’s next after UFC 269?

There are no other words to describe Poirier’s loss other than crushing. Poirier admitted at the post-fight press conference that he was heartbroken and devastated by the result.

Make no mistake about it, Dustin Poirier is one of the best fighters in the UFC. However, undisputed gold has been outside of his reach his entire career.

He got his first shot two years ago against Khabib Nurmagomedov and suffered the same result. Now, The Diamond must go back to the drawing board and figure out whats next.

The UFC does have a couple of options they can look at. An obvious choice from a rankings perspective is Michael Chandler (22-7). Chandler is on a two-fight losing streak but the losses came to Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

A fight between Poirier and Chandler would re-establish one of them right in the title picture. If Poirier is looking for a big money fight, I love the idea of him and Nate Diaz (20-13).

These two have wanted to fight for years and now could be the perfect time. Diaz needs a fight and Poirier might want a money fight over a contender fight with Chandler.

That fight could setup a potential fourth matchup with Conor McGregor (22-6) once McGregor is ready to return over the summer. There are still plenty of big fights out there for Poirier and don’t rule him out just yet.

Who will Conor McGregor face in his UFC return?

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The biggest star in the UFC is getting closer and closer to returning. Conor McGregor (22-6) is still recovering after he broke his leg in his last fight against Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC) back in July. The fight was the third installment of the rivalry between the two men.

With McGregor losing by doctor stoppage at UFC 264, McGregor went 0-2 against Poirier this year after winning their first fight. However, there are a lot of questions still surrounding the rivalry especially with the way the third fight ended.

McGregor took to his Twitter account over the weekend to answer some fans questions. Of course, many UFC fans were wanting to know when he would be making his return to the octagon.

In a response, McGregor said that he would resume full MMA sparring in April with a UFC return imminent at that point. Given that information, we should probably expect a McGregor return in the early summer months.

McGregor’s UFC return

When Conor McGregor is ready to return, the UFC is going to have some decisions to make. Who will the promotion pair him up against when he returns? McGregor has publicly said that he wants to fight for the title upon his return.

However, I just don’t know how realistic that option is. With that, what are some more realistic options for The Notorious one. I think the first obvious choice would be the trilogy fight with Nate Diaz (20-13).

McGregor and Diaz are both massive stars and they are currently 1-1 after two fights. This would get McGregor back into the swing of things against a big time opponent and it’s a winnable fight for him.

This would be the smart play in my opinion. Of course, there’s the outside chance that he comes right back to a fourth fight with Dustin Poirier. While the UFC could do this, I think they should hold off for now.

Another option to watch out for is Rafael Dos Anjos (30-13). Both men are former UFC lightweight champions and they have beef. They were supposed to fight years ago, but RDA pulled out with an injury.

They have had backstage run-ins and neither man likes each other. This could be another route the UFC could go. If I had to guess in terms of the likelihood, I would say it goes: Diaz, RDA, Poirier.

UFC: Is the Volkanovski trilogy or McGregor rematch next for Max Holloway?

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This past weekend at UFC Vegas 42, Max Holloway (23-6) took on Yair Rodriguez (13-3, 1 NC). Holloway entered the bout as a massive betting favorite on the heels of his insanely dominant performance against Calvin Kattar back in January.

However, it was apparent from the opening round at UFC Vegas 42 that this was going to be a different fight. Rodriguez started out insanely strong and I think it caught Holloway off guard a bit. It took Holloway a little to find his rhythm and Rodriguez was landing bombs.

Halfway through the fight, we saw Holloway really start to turn it on. The former UFC featherweight champion turned up the pressure and mixed things up beautifully. All of this played a huge role in him winning the latter half of the fight.

In the end, the judges gave Holloway a unanimous decision victory. It was Holloway’s second victory of the year and it puts him in a great position as the calendar gets ready to turn over to 2022.

What’s next after UFC Vegas 42?

There are a few options on the table for Max Holloway at the moment. The obvious choice seems to be the trilogy fight with Alexander Volkanovski (23-1) for the UFC featherweight title. So far, Holloway is 0-2 in his bouts against Volkanovski.

However, a majority seem to believe that Holloway won the second fight despite two of the judges giving the fight to Volkanovski. Holloway has established himself as clearly the second best featherweight in the world behind the champion.

It’s basically Holloway and Volkanovski then a gap before you reach the next contender. However, there is another option out there for Holloway if he isn’t interested in challenging Volkanovski for a third time.

That option would be moving up to lightweight for a rematch with Conor McGregor (22-6). These two have playfully gone back and forth for years after their first meeting years ago. McGregor won their first fight by decision.

McGregor even shared a video of him staring down Holloway during Holloway’s introduction at UFC Vegas 42. Holloway has expressed interest in fighting McGregor once The Notorious one returns which should be in the late spring. Time will tell, but there are some good options for The Blessed Express.

Conor McGregor ‘Down’ for fight with Michael Chandler following UFC 268

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Conor McGregor, UFC

This past weekend at UFC 268, Michael Chandler (22-7) went to war with Justin Gaethje (23-3). The fight lived up to every ounce of hype it had and will be on the shortlist of fight of the year. Easily the fight could get inducted into the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.

Both men hit the other which everything they had. They both had each other rocked and wobbled at various points in the fight. In the end, Justin Gaethje landed a little more and was able to win a decision, but in reality, there were no losers in this fight.

Michael Chandler’s stock doesn’t fall after suffering defeat at UFC 268. To me, he’s exactly where he was before the fight. Right in the mix of things and inside the top five of the UFC‘s lightweight division. This morning, Chandler made it clear what he wants next.

Chandler took to Twitter and made his callout for his return. Chandler said that he wanted a fight with former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor (22-6) next. McGregor is currently rehabbing a broken leg that he suffered in his last fight.

Former UFC champion responds

After the callout, it didn’t take long for Conor McGregor to issue a response. The former champion is very active on Twitter and one had to think that he would respond. The only question would be the type of response.

Would we get the nice and respectful version of Conor McGregor? Or would the former UFC champion go right into the trash talk and mind games? McGregor was very respectful in his response that you can see below.

I mentioned this in the article this morning, but if you want a perfect fight on paper, it’s a fight between McGregor and Chandler. It’s a massive fight that can headline a UFC PPV and would satisfy the casuals and the hard core MMA fan base.

The only question would be around the UFC’s willingness to make the fight happen. For McGregor, there’s always the third fight with Nate Diaz. Or a matchup with Rafael Dos Anjos (a fight that would also make sense for Michael Chandler).

It’s important to remember that UFC 268 just was Saturday night and both men are going to need time. Chandler needs to recover from the war he was in while McGregor still needs to fully heal from the broken leg.

All that being said, these are two guys who the UFC organization loves. If Chandler wants this fight and McGregor wants this fight, it’s going to happen. Time will tell, but I think fans would be pretty satisfied if this fight were to happen in the late spring or early summer in 2022.

Michael Chandler has his eyes on Conor McGregor after UFC 268

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MMA, UFC, michael chandler

This past Saturday at UFC 268, we saw a fight that very well might be fight of the year and it lived up to it’s enormous hype. Kicking off the PPV on Saturday was a lightweight showdown between Michael Chandler (22-7) and Justin Gaethje (23-3).

Both men were coming off title losses in their last fights and whoever won this fight was being looked at as a potential number one contender in a stacked lightweight division. Given the styles of both men, this fight at UFC 268 had more hype than any non-title fight I’ve seen in recent memory that didn’t involve Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz.

Somehow, it seemed to even surpass expectations. From the opening bell, these two went right after each other and threw everything they had. In the first round, Chandler was able to rock Gaethje a few times and it looked like he could get a stoppage win.

However, Gaethje weathered the storm then came back strong by dropping and hurting Chandler in the second. The third round showed Chandler just eating everything Gaethje threw and he was throwing heat back. An absolute war at UFC 268 that should be going into the hall of fame one day.

In the end, Justin Gaethje got his hand raised which was the right call. However, this was a fight where there really wasn’t a loser in my opinion. Michael Chandler dropped to 1-2 in the UFC following the loss to Gaethje.

Chandler has his next UFC opponent in mind

Michael Chandler took to Twitter this morning and made it clear what he wants next. With a simple caption of, “2022,” Chandler posted a face off picture with him and former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor (22-6).

McGregor is currently recovering from the broken leg that he suffered back at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. The Notorious one is looking to return in the late spring or early summer which aligns when Chandler will likely make his next trip inside the octagon.

While I absolutely love this fight, I’m not sure if the UFC will go in this direction for McGregor. If McGregor wants to get right back in the title picture, Chandler is a great option. However, with anything tied to Conor McGregor, there are a lot of moving pieces.

Another option to watch for Chandler and McGregor for that matter is former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos (30-13). The former champion is recovering from knee surgery and aligns perfectly with both men in terms of his spot in the rankings.

Will Nate Diaz leave the UFC after his next fight?

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One of the biggest stars in the UFC has just one fight left on his current deal. That fighter would be Stockton’s own, Nathan Diaz (20-13). Diaz has blossomed into being one of the top earners for the promotion over the past few years.

For Diaz, the rise to stardom came when he took on Conor McGregor on short-notice. McGregor hadn’t lost in the UFC and had just captured the featherweight title at the time after knocking out Jose Aldo. Diaz stepped in for an injured Rafael Dos Anjos to take on McGregor.

After a hot start from McGregor, Diaz stopped him in the second round. The two would rematch in one of the greatest fights in UFC history. McGregor got the nod, but Diaz walked away an even bigger start than he was before.

That’s been the pattern for Diaz over the past few years. Even when he doesn’t win like his matchups with Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards, he somehow gets bigger and bigger. Simply put, Diaz has become a superstar for the UFC.

One UFC Fight Left

Currently the UFC is working on a fight for Diaz. That fight will be the final one on Diaz’s current deal and then the star will get to explore free agency for the first time in his career. The question now becomes, will he resign or walk away?

There are a lot of people who believe Diaz would walk away from the UFC. Perhaps he would walk away to chase a massive payday to box Jake Paul. That boxing match has been rumored for a while and if Diaz leaves the UFC after his next fight, I could definitely see it happening.

I don’t see any scenario where Diaz would leave for either Bellator or PFL or any other MMA promotion. It’s either the UFC or boxing for Diaz. The UFC could be holding a few aces in their pocket that could convince Diaz to stay for at least one or two more fights.

The Conor McGregor trilogy fight makes a ton of sense for next summer. McGregor will be returning from injury and it would line up perfectly after Diaz completes his contract in early 2022. The McGregor trilogy could be his first fight back.

Should he win that fight, the UFC could go then potentially pair him with a Dustin Poirier who might very well be the lightweight champion. These two have wanted to fight for years and Diaz could be an attractive opponent for Poirier.

Then there’s the BMF rematch which almost happened last year. These three fights would all be massive for Diaz and would net him a pretty penny. Would any pay more than a boxing match with Jake Paul? That remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to watch how this story plays out in the coming months.

UFC’s Conor McGregor: “Still a long way, but I’m gonna get back”

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The biggest star to ever grace the UFC is getting closer and closer to being able to resume training. Former two-division world champion Conor McGregor (22-6) hasn’t been able to train since his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier back at UFC 264 in July.

That night, McGregor’s leg snapped near the end of the first round causing the fight to be waved off. McGregor had to have surgery the next day where he had a titanium rod placed through his leg.

Since then, McGregor has been active on social media, but he’s not been able to do much physically. This past weekend, the former UFC champion was in the news when he had a confrontation with Machine Gun Kelly at the VMAs.

McGregor was seen walking without a boot and he’s back on his feet. Recently, journalist Adam Glyn caught up with McGregor and the former UFC champion provided some updates on where he’s at and his timeline.

McGregor’s UFC return

McGregor said, “I feel like I could kick right now. I honestly feel like I could kick right now, but I’ve just got to listen to the doctors and listen to the people that are guiding me. That’s what I’ve done so far, I’ve committed myself to the work and I’m back on the feet. It’s so good to be back on the feet.”

The former UFC champion also made it clear that he’s not quite ready to resume training and it will still be some time before we see him inside the octagon. That said, McGregor is more committed than ever to return.

“Still a long way, I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, like I said I feel like I can kick now, I’m not advised to kick yet. But I’m gonna get back. You think a broken bone is gonna stop me? Think again,” McGregor said.

Now, the UFC is currently targeting 2022 for McGregor’s return. How soon into 2022 will completely depend on McGregor’s recovery. If things progress quickly, we could see The Notorious one back inside the octagon sometime in late spring. However, early summer might be a more realistic timeframe.

Dustin Poirier not committed to any UFC offer; Open to either Charles Oliveira or Nate Diaz next

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dustin poirier, ufc

Arguably the best lightweight in the UFC gave one of his first interviews today since his big win last month. Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC) was the first guest on the return of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour on MMA Fighting this afternoon.

The Diamond has been relatively quiet since his second win over Conor McGregor (22-6) back at UFC 264. After Poirier picked up the win, it was universally expected that Poirier would be next in line for the UFC lightweight title.

However, with everything having gone quiet, there’s been no word on that fight getting finalized. While a fight with Poirier is what Charles Oliveira (31-8, 1 NC) is mentally preparing for, it might not be next for Dustin Poirier.

Poirier has always been a lightweight that has gone on his own path. Outside of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Poirier has been the best lightweight in the UFC over the last few years. If you think of any top lightweight outside of Oliveira and Nurmagomedov, Poirier has defeated them.

Originally, the UFC wanted Poirier to fight Oliveira for the title at UFC 262. However, Poirier chased the money fight and cashed in with a second win over Conor McGregor. Now, Poirier is in a very similar position.

UFC Title or Money Fight?

Poirier has been the target of recent callouts from the one and only Nate Diaz (20-13). Diaz is one of the biggest stars in the UFC and he’s been calling for a fight with Dustin Poirier for a long time.

The fight with Nate Diaz is something that Poirier has also wanted for a long time as he told Helwani today. Diaz has lost two consecutive fights, but neither fight has done anything to diminish his star power. In fact, his star power has seemingly become even greater.

He last fought at UFC 263 when he fought Leon Edwards at 170 pounds. Edwards was considered one of the best in the welterweight division and Diaz wanted to fight him because of how good he was.

Edwards controlled most of the fight, but Nate Diaz came on strong and almost finished Edwards in the final minute. While Edwards got the win, all the talk was about Nate Diaz after UFC 263.

Diaz and Poirier were once scheduled to fight and the fight fell through. Since then, both have gone back-and-forth with each other over social media. A fight between the two men seems inevitable.

Helwani told Poirier today that he believes the money fight for Poirier would be Diaz. However, the legacy fight would be for the UFC title. In reality, the ball is in Poirier’s court just like it was earlier this year. What will he do: Fight Charles Oliveira or Fight Nate Diaz? Time will tell on this one.

Conor McGregor guarantees 2022 return; Eyeing immediate UFC title shot

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Conor McGregor, UFC

Last month at UFC 264, Conor McGregor (22-6) suffered arguably the toughest loss of his career. Not tough in terms of suffering a loss, but tough in terms of the injury that caused the fight to stop and his career to hit pause.

McGregor was taking on Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC) in the installment of their rivalry. Both men had finished the other by knockout in the first two fights. The third fight perfectly encapsulated the first two fights within one round.

Early on in the first round, McGregor was doing incredibly well. He was blasting Poirier with leg kicks and at one point seemed to hurt Poirier with strikes. However, Poirier quickly turned the tables and started pushing forward.

McGregor went for a guillotine choke which proved to be a grave mistake. Poirier ended up on top and dominated most of the round from that top position. Late in the round, Poirier let McGregor up and the two started striking.

The former UFC two-division champion threw his patented straight left hand and missed. When he stepped back, his leg snapped. The fight was declared over in between rounds and McGregor suffered another loss at UFC 264.

McGregor’s UFC return

The former UFC champion had surgery to fix his broken leg and he’s been rehabbing ever since. He’s been documenting his progress and McGregor is fully focused on returning to the octagon in 2022. 

Make no mistake about it, McGregor is planning on returning to the top of the UFC. In fact, he plans on going right into a title shot. McGregor had a Q&A session on his personal Twitter today where he took fan questions.

In one response, he said that he plans on walking right back into a UFC title shot. Personally, I can see it happening if Poirier is the lightweight champion. With the way the last fight ended, there still appears to be some unfinished business there.

However, McGregor talked about the fact that he’s interested in the UFC’s welterweight title. McGregor said that he would spark Kamaru Usman (19-1) which prompted a quick response from the UFC’s welterweight champion.

It’ll be interesting to see where McGregor goes upon his return. I would recommend that he returns to lightweight, but with The Notorious one, you truly never know what he and the UFC are cooking up.

UFC: Would Dustin Poirier bypass title shot for money fight with Nate Diaz?

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dustin poirier, ufc

Last weekend at UFC 264, Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC) picked up his second win over Conor McGregor (22-6) after McGregor broke his leg. With the win, Poirier has secured the next shot at Charles Oliveira (31-8, 1 NC) for the UFC lightweight title.

Through everything that’s happened since Khabib’s retirement, Dustin Poirier – Charles Oliveira have seemed destined to fight. These two are clearly the two best lightweights in the UFC and finally it appears their paths will cross.

However, there is one thing that could throw a wrench into all of this. That one thing is UFC superstar Nate Diaz (20-13). Make no mistake about it, Diaz is one of the biggest stars in the entire promotion.

Stockton’s own hunts for the big fights and he always wants to fight the best. He’s had his radar on Dustin Poirier for a long time now and that hasn’t changed. This week, Diaz took to Twitter to call out Poirier. Poirier responded say, “I’ll touch you up at any weight.”

Could Poirier bypass his UFC title shot?

If there’s anyone you should want to be in the UFC right now it’s Dustin Poirier. After Khabib retired, nobody denied the fact that Poirier is the top lightweight in the promotion. He got his huge money fight with Conor McGregor, then he was put in charge of his own destiny.

The UFC offered him the McGregor trilogy or a shot at Charles Oliveira. Poirier picked the McGregor trilogy and he made the right choice as he won the fight and the PPV did 1.8 million buys which is the second highest of all time.

Poirier earned himself a massive payday and now he still gets his UFC title shot. However, could Poirier chase another massive payday? There is unfinished business between Poirier and Diaz as they were supposed to fight a couple of years ago.

However, Poirier had to have surgery and the fight was called off. The UFC never made the fight again, but both men have continued to call the other out. It’s a dream fight for fight fans and it’s definitely something the promotion would be interested in booking.

If I had to guess, I think Poirier takes the title shot this time. He got the biggest fight possible with the McGregor trilogy and now it’s time for him to chase gold. However, if the Diaz fight does happen instead, I certainly wouldn’t be shocked.