The rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier won’t look the same as the first bout, at least according to UFC president Dana White.
Despite what others may have predicted, White believes that, almost seven years later, McGregor vs. Poirier 2 will look much different.
Both McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) are scheduled to compete in a lightweight contest at UFC 257 on Jan. 23. The first time was in 2014 at UFC 178, with McGregor winning by first-round TKO in a featherweight bout.
“It’s a completely different fight,” White told BT Sport. “Obviously Conor is a much better fighter than he was when he first faced him, and Poirier is a much better fighter too. I don’t know how that plays out now in the fight, but it’s definitely interesting.
“You can’t look at the first fight and go, ‘Oh, this is exactly the way that’s gonna go again.’ Because it won’t.”
Since their last encounter, both fighters went on to pick up UFC gold. McGregor became the first simultaneous two-division champion, capturing the featherweight and lightweight titles, while Poirier won the interim lightweight belt.
Both competitors are coming off wins: McGregor defeated Donald Cerrone in 46 seconds in early 2020, while Poirier outpointed Dan Hooker in a “Fight of the Year” contender back in June. Prior to that, both men had lost to champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired in October.
White wouldn’t give a prediction on the McGregor-Poirier rematch, but he expects a quality bout.
“Conor looks damn good, and Poirier’s always in shape. I expect this to be a good fight,” White said.
Dana White: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch ‘a completely different fight’
