Not so fast: Dana White denies reports that Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier is official

Even by ESPN’s report, it still sounds like the major hurdles to getting Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2 finalized for UFC 257 have…

By: Zane Simon | 3 years ago
Not so fast: Dana White denies reports that Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier is official
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Even by ESPN’s report, it still sounds like the major hurdles to getting Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2 finalized for UFC 257 have been crossed. But, as the UFC president made clear to the outlet, that doesn’t necessarily mean that all the “i”s have been dotted.

White told the promotion’s media partner that Dustin Poirier has signed his bout agreement to face McGregor, but the UFC is yet to receive paperwork back from the Irish superstar, finalizing his end of the deal. That’s not expected to be a major impediment going forward, however, as the SBG fighter has reportedly previously given the UFC a verbal agreement to the bout.

“Jan. 23 on Fight Island, if everything goes according to plans,” White said in a statement to ESPN, when asked about their plans for the PPV card. “There are a ton of if’s right now. I have to see where the world is at in the next couple of months.”

The UFC has already made two trips to ‘Fight Island’ this year, hosting a total of 9 events, including two PPVs at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. Their most recent trip saw Kamaru Usman defend his welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 and wound down with a middleweight top contender’s bout between Robert Whittaker and Darren Till.

With the UFC taking several weeks off in December and January, it seems likely that the current set of 4 scheduled 2021 fight cards would all be planned for a 3rd run of Abu Dhabi events, assuming things go to plan. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and notes on the UFC’s upcoming schedule.

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About the author
Zane Simon
Zane Simon

Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer, and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. He has worked with the website since 2013, taking on a wide variety of roles. A lifelong combat sports fan, Zane has trained off & on in both boxing and Muay Thai. He currently hosts the long-running MMA Vivisection podcast, which he took over from Nate Wilcox & Dallas Winston in 2015, as well as the 6th Round podcast, started in 2014. Zane is also responsible for developing and maintaining the ‘List of current UFC fighters’ on Bloody Elbow, a resource he originally developed for Wikipedia in 2010.

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