Conor McGregor

Dustin Poirier on UFC’s offer to fight Michael Chandler: ‘That’s a slap in the face’

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dustin poirier, ufc

Currently, the UFC is working on booking Conor McGregor (22-4) against Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) for January of next year. The rematch is expected to headline the promotion’s first PPV event of 2021 after McGregor agreed to the date yesterday.

However, McGregor wasn’t the first or even second opponent the UFC offered Dustin Poirier recently. Originally, Poirier was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of UFC 254. However, the UFC and Poirier couldn’t come to terms financially. 

After that fight fell through, the promotion pivoted to try and book Ferguson against the newly signed Michael Chandler. That fight was not able to be made, and that caused the UFC to come back to Poirier with an offer to fight Michael Chandler.

In an interview yesterday with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Poirier shed some light on why he wasn’t willing to accept the offer on the table to fight Michael Chandler. It appears that Poirier was not going to receive the highest paycheck in the proposed Poirier – Chandler fight.

“I’ve been in the UFC for ten years. I’ve been in eight main events and two PPV main events. This guys gonna come in here and make more money than me. I understand it’s business, but if you want me to fight that fight, you have to step it up. That’s a slap in the face to me,” Poirier told Helwani.

UFC and Poirier were not far apart

Poirier did say earlier in the interview that he didn’t believe the two sides were far apart in their negotiations. He felt confident originally that something would get done between himself and the UFC. However, nothing has materialized to this point.

In Poirier’s last UFC contest, he had a disclosed paycheck of $150,000 to show and $150,000 to win. After winning the fight and winning fight of the night, Poirier walked away with $350,000 the night that he beat Dan Hooker.

Poirier’s comments have given us some insight into the new Michael Chandler deal with the UFC. Poirier is saying that Chandler would be making more money which tells us that the UFC is giving Chandler a higher guarantee to show up to fight.

The UFC and Poirier have not come to terms on a new contract. Fighters sign deals, but the UFC normally adjusts the deals throughout to bump up the pay of their fighters. However, this kind of thing created the situations with Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal earlier this year.

The UFC is within their rights to keep Poirier where he’s at because he signed that deal. However, Poirier is also within his rights to present his case for more money. It’s a tough situation, but with Poirier appearing set to fight Conor McGregor, I’m expecting his next check to be much higher.

Conor McGregor reverses course on 2021 UFC fight with Dustin Poirier

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The current situation between Conor McGregor (22-4) and the UFC seems to be changing every second nowadays. Last week it appeared that the promotion was going to book the rematch between McGregor and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC).

Both fighters had agreed to the fight. However, McGregor wanted the fight to be in 2020. McGregor said in a tweet that he would only accept the UFC‘s offer if the fight was to take place in 2020. 2021 was not acceptable for the Notorious one.

Today, UFC President Dana White came out and said that the offer was firm for January 23rd, 2021. It was a take it or leave it offer, and if McGregor wouldn’t accept it, the promotion would move on from trying to book the McGregor – Poirier rematch.

White taking this position seemingly indicated that the fight wouldn’t be made. It seemed to be a struggle over power between McGregor and the UFC. After initially saying he would only accept the fight in 2020, McGregor has reversed his position.

UFC in Dallas?

As you can see, McGregor has publicly said that he was in for the UFC‘s offer of January 23rd. However, he doesn’t want to fight in the APEX, instead he wants the fight to take place in Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium.

If the UFC decides to try to make this happen, it could be the first UFC event that would have live fans in attendance. However, the idea still seems a bit far fetched. There is likely no way an event would be approved to have full attendance.

White has said on a number of occasions that the promotion wouldn’t hold an event with partial crowds. They would wait until they could pack the arenas again with UFC fans. If the promotion holds an event in the Jerry Dome, it would likely be a limited crowd.

One thing is for sure, we are in a better position than we were in a few hours ago. Fans who are wanting to see the rematch between McGregor and Dustin Poirier might get their wish after all.

UFC ultimatum signals bad news for McGregor – Poirier 2

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UFC, Dana White

The UFC world has been excited about the prospect of Conor McGregor (22-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) squaring off for the second time before the end of 2020. The two fighters have agreed to a fight via social media.

McGregor came out on Twitter and said that he accepted the UFC’s offer to rematch Poirier. However, McGregor stated that the fight had to take place in 2020. After the inactivity this year, McGregor is itching to get back into a UFC cage.

Poirier was on board with the plan. However, the UFC was not. Many people believed that the UFC would figure out a way to work McGregor – Poirier 2 into the schedule. However, Dana White said today that the promotion is giving the two fighters a take it or leave it deal.

The UFC making a mistake?

White said that the UFC offered McGregor the Poirier fight on January 23rd. However, the promotion would not move around their schedule to make it work to have McGregor fight before the end of the year like he wanted.

For context, McGregor is the highest PPV generating fighter the UFC has on the roster. The promotion has agreements to pay their champions PPV money when they are on a PPV event. With McGregor on the card, the champions would make much more money.

The UFC‘s two remaining PPV events of 2020 have a total of four title fights. Two championships on the line at UFC 255 and UFC 256. That means that the promotion would likely have to shell out PPV money to four fighters on the card at least which they won’t do.

That is why the promotion is taking the hard stance and not giving in. Because of the promotion’s stance, we are likely not going to see McGregor rematch with Dustin Poirier. I get both sides, but to me, a lot of the blame should fall on the UFC for failing to book McGregor a fight in the summer to begin with.

White publicly said that the promotion wanted to wait to get fans back before McGregor fought again. The live gate for Conor McGregor fights is off the charts. Because they held out too long, McGregor walked away. Now, they are letting a McGregor fight slip through their hands once again.

UFC: Nate Diaz tears into McGregor and Poirier on Twitter

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It’s looking more and more like Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 2 might be one of the biggest UFC fights of the year – if it does end up happening in 2020. However, not all the fighters in the league are big fans of that idea. The Diaz brothers are pretty well known around the sport for their outspokenness and Nate Diaz took to Twitter to trash talk both fighters and give his take on the likely matchup.

A second bout between Poirier and McGregor is one that fans have wanted to see for a long time. After all, the two fought in the past but both have improved significantly since then. McGregor is a former champion in two divisions and Poirier was the interim champion at lightweight. There’s been a lot of calls for these two to fight again and see if the result is different this time.

But according to Nate Diaz, who has a 1-1 record against McGregor, this is just a case of two friends taking the easy route and fighting each other. He replied dismissively to Poirier claiming he could beat Diaz even in a new 165 lbs division.

With that being said, the fight between McGregor and Poirier looks like it’s going to happen, whether or not it draws criticism from the Diaz brothers. Both fighters are interested in making the fight happen and had previously agreed to a charity fight outside of the UFC. But with both of them under contract and the UFC being unwilling to release them from that for an outside fight, meeting in the Octagon is the next best thing.

The only thing left is for an official date to be decided on, but the UFC has an incentive to make it happen. After all, love him or hate him, a Conor McGregor fight always draws eyes. Especially against another elite opponent like Poirier rather than an aging boxing opponent.

UFC: Nate Diaz and Dan Hooker challenge each other

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One of the more popular fighters in the UFC over the last several years has been Nate Diaz (20-12). Diaz rose to stardom after he defeated Conor McGregor in a massive upset back at UFC 196. McGregor was the featherweight champion at the time.

Following that contest, the two would rematch in the second highest grossing PPV event in UFC history. Diaz has competed twice since that McGregor rematching winning a fight against Anthony Pettis before having the BMF title match against Jorge Masvidal.

Since the BMF loss, Diaz has been on the sidelines. Recently, it was reported that the UFC was close to finalizing the rematch between Diaz and Masvidal. However, the UFC appears to be heading in a different direction angling to book Masvidal against Colby Covington.

That leaves Diaz without a fight. However, thanks to the wonderful world of twitter, a new fight for Diaz could be materializing before our eyes. In the last few days an exchange between Diaz and Dan Hooker (20-9) has created headlines. Both men have challenged the other to a fight.

Would the UFC make it happen?

Hooker is currently the fourth ranked lightweight without a fight. He’s coming off of a close decision loss to Dustin Poirier back in June. He’s been wanting to get back into the octagon, but he has yet to find an opponent to throw down with. Diaz seems to be interested in taking the fight.

Judging by social media, it appears that Diaz is ready to return to the UFC. Considering the fact that the Masvidal fight was close to being done shows that he’s wanting back in. A fight with Hooker would be a fun change of pace for Diaz.

If Nate Diaz were to fight Dan Hooker, it wouldn’t be a giant money maker. However, it would be a fight that could reestablish Diaz near the top of the lightweight division. Granted, Diaz is currently calling for the fight to take place at 165 pound.

I think the UFC would be smart to capitalize on the social media talk between the two men. Nate Diaz needs to be more active in the octagon, and a fight with Dan Hooker would be extremely entertaining for the fans. Time will tell if the promotion moves to book the catchweight contest.

UFC: Khabib Nurmagomedov has no interest in Conor McGregor

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The highest PPV buy rate ever in the history of MMA came at UFC 229. That night, Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) successfully defended his lightweight title against Conor McGregor (22-4). The fight had a ton of bad blood leading up to it.

After the fight was over and Nurmagomedov had successfully retained his UFC title, he jumped the cage and a brawl ensued. Mayhem broke out at UFC 229 that turned the ending of the night into a bit of a black eye for the sport.

However, the bad blood that still exists has always left fans intrigued in wanting to see the rematch. However, the UFC lightweight champion hasn’t been interested in fighting Conor McGregor for some time. He has stated that McGregor doesn’t deserve another chance.

Recently, UFC president Dana White said that he had a deal worked out with Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor to coach the Ultimate Fighter. However, after McGregor’s recent stunts, Nurmagomedov lost interest. Khabib told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that $5 billion wouldn’t be enough for him to do that.

In that same interview, the UFC lightweight champion said that he considers the Conor McGregor chapter of his career closed. Nurmagomedov said, “Everything is done. October 6th, I finished him. I finished everything about him.”

Could the UFC make it happen?

A lot of this would come down to the potential UFC rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. The UFC is trying to make that fight happen as we speak. If the promotion is able to make the fight happen, and McGregor wins, the rematch could entice Nurmagomedov.

The stance of the lightweight champion has always been that McGregor didn’t deserve a rematch. However, if McGregor is able to defeat Poirier, he would have two consecutive wins inside the octagon making him a worthy challenger to the title.

Nurmagomedov has his hands full at UFC 254 against Justin Gaethje. However, if Khabib and McGregor both win their next fights inside the octagon, the rematch is the fight that would make the most sense. It would arguably be bigger than their original clash at UFC 229.

 

UFC: Conor McGregor says he’s using Poirier fight to prepare for Manny Pacquiao

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The UFC is in the process of trying to finalize the potential rematch between Conor McGregor (22-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC). The fight materialized after McGregor challenged Poirier to a charity MMA match. Both fighters have said they’ve accepted the fight.

McGregor is pushing for the fight to be in 2020 while the UFC is wanting to do the fight in January. Either way, the UFC is working to get the fight done. It was a crazy couple of weeks when it comes to Conor McGregor news.

McGregor had announced that he would be boxing Manny Pacquiao before stepping back into the UFC. Pacquiao’s team confirmed that the rumors were true. However, then the plans shifted and it now appears that McGregor will face Dustin Poirier.

In an interview with Teddy Atlas, Poirier said that he believes fighting him is apart of McGregor’s ultimate plan to fight Manny Pacquiao. He pointed to the fact that he’s a tough southpaw fighter so he would make sense for McGregor. McGregor took to Twitter to confirm that.

UFC and Boxing for McGregor

As you can see from the above tweet, McGregor is still planning on venturing back into the squared circle against Manny Pacquiao. The plan is still to face Dustin Poirier in the UFC, but this will ultimately lead into his fight with Pacquiao.

Granted, I’m not sure if this will ultimately happen. Yes, both the Pacquiao and McGregor camps are interested, but it’s not a done deal. If McGregor defeats Poirier this year, the UFC will likely push to have McGregor face the winner of the UFC 254 main event.

McGregor has longed for the rematch with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0). If a win over Poirier leads to a boxing match with Pacquiao or a title match against Nurmagomedov, I find it hard to believe that McGregor would chose boxing over UFC gold.

Conor McGregor says he’s accepted the UFC offer to face Dustin Poirier

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The UFC appears closer than ever to finalizing the return of their biggest star. For the last couple of weeks, there have been a lot of things going on with Conor McGregor (22-4). First, McGregor announced he’d be boxing Manny Pacquiao. 

After that, McGregor challenged Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) to a charity MMA match the same night as UFC 256. Poirier accepted the callout from McGregor and said that he’s ready to go. Dana White then said that the UFC was trying to make the fight happen.

It’s been relatively quiet over the last couple of days. White said that Poirier had accepted the fight, and the UFC was anticipating a response from McGregor sooner rather than later. Well, McGregor took to Twitter today with another announcement.

UFC 255 or UFC 256 for Poirier – McGregor 2?

As you can see from the above tweet, McGregor claims that he’s accepted the UFC‘s offer for him to run things back with Dustin Poirier. McGregor is also insisting that the fight takes place this year which leaves two viable options.

McGregor is calling for November 21st which is UFC 255. Cody Garbrandt fell out of the main event last week due to an injury. While two title fights are still on the card, the main event is not as sexy to fans without Garbrandt in there.

Because of the injury news, McGregor sees an opportunity for him and Poirier to headline that card. Another possibility could be the December 12th card. UFC 256 also lost their main event last week after it was announced that Kamaru Usman needed more time.

No matter which card they decide to go with, the UFC needs to make this fight happen. Conor McGregor belongs in the UFC, not in a boxing ring. Dustin Poirier needs a big time payday, and it wouldn’t get bigger than this.

 

UFC Match Maker: Nate Diaz – Tony Ferguson

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Former interim UFC lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson, spent time on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show recently. Ferguson talked about his desire to fight lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov who’s currently scheduled to fight at UFC 254.

Ferguson was also scheduled to fight that night against Dustin Poirier. However, that fight fell apart leaving Ferguson without a dance partner. Ferguson wasn’t interested in fighting Michael Chandler who has not fought inside the UFC yet.

During his interview with Helwani, Ferguson said something interesting. He mentioned the fact that he feels like he’s a natural welterweight. He also said he would be interested in a fight with Nick Diaz who recently announced he’s returning to the UFC.

That got me thinking about something for Ferguson. Nick Diaz’s younger brother, Nate Diaz, has become a UFC star. Nate was scheduled to rematch Jorge Masvidal, but the UFC is pivoting towards booking Masvidal against Colby Covington.

The UFC also appears to be trying to work out a deal to make Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier. That leaves both men without a fight. Well, I think you can see where I’m going with this. Both of these men would make for the perfect fight.

UFC should make Diaz – Ferguson

El Cucuy made it clear that he wants a big name fight for his next contest. He talked about the fact that he sells PPV’s when he fights. Well, for Ferguson it wouldn’t get much bigger than a fight with Nate Diaz in the UFC.

Diaz has blossomed into a star over the past few years. All starting with his giant win over Conor McGregor that occurred at UFC 196. Diaz’s stardom took off after that. Since then Diaz has participated in two additional events which generated over 900,000 PPV buys.

When Ferguson fought Justin Gaethje back at UFC 249, that card did about 750,000 PPV buys. Now granted, it was the first live sports event since the pandemic hit. Nevertheless, a fight with Diaz and Ferguson makes all the sense in the world.

Neither guy is going to accept a fight against just anyone. The name and the financial figures have to be right for both men to step into the cage. To me, the two men fighting each other solves problems they are both currently facing. If I’m running the show, I would see if I could make this fight happen.

UFC: Tony Ferguson wants to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov next

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Tony Ferguson, UFC

The UFC‘s lightweight boogeyman is wanting a fight. “El Cucuy” Tony Ferguson (25-4) just appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show to talk about what’s next for him inside the octagon. Ferguson is coming off of an interim title loss to Justin Gaethje back at UFC 249.

Tony Ferguson was originally planning on fighting Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) later this month at UFC 254. That was the fight that the promotion was trying to book. Poirier and Ferguson are both ranked in the top three of the lightweight division.

However, the UFC couldn’t come to financial terms with Poirier. The fight fell apart, and Ferguson was left without an opponent. The UFC tried to pivot to booking Ferguson against Michael Chandler, but Ferguson was not interested in being at “Gate keeper.”

Now, the former interim UFC lightweight champion is left without an opponent. In his interview with Helwani, Ferguson talked about the fact that he’s still at the championship level. He wants to be treated that way. El Cucuy has one guy in mind for his next UFC contest.

“Khabib, let’s go. The fans want to see it, I’m not trying to hype anything. It’s competition. Nothing against him,” Ferguson told Helwani. Of course, Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) is scheduled to defend his lightweight title later this month at UFC 254 against Gaethje.

What does the UFC do?

UFC 254 needs to happen before the promotion plans on anything. The UFC is trying to book Dustin Poirier – Conor McGregor, but Ferguson doesn’t believe that fight will happen because McGregor is, “All fluff.”

Later this month, we will crown an undisputed UFC lightweight champion. Ferguson has his eyes focused on the winner of that fight. I believe a fight with Michael Chandler (21-5) would have been perfect, but Ferguson isn’t interested in someone who hasn’t competed inside the octagon.

If Nurmagomedov is able to defeat Justin Gaethje later this month, the promotion could try again at booking Ferguson with Khabib. This would be the sixth time that the UFC would have tried to put that fight together.

Considering the timeline, I would like to see Ferguson get back into the octagon before facing the winner of Khabib – Gaethje. He’s coming off of a tough loss to Gaethje, and I would just like to see him get his feet wet in the first. Time will tell what the promotion decides to do with El Cucuy.