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Conor McGregor doesn’t look past Dustin Poirier, but “The Notorious” definitely had a big picture in mind as he prepared for their UFC 257 main event Saturday on “Fight Island.” And that big picture includes staying active and possibly fighting for the lightweight belt.
Current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has made it clear that he intends to retire, and it seems to be a question of whether – not when – Nurmagomedov will drop the belt, so Saturday’s main event has to huge implications for the title.
ESPN has Poirier ranked No. 3 and McGregor ranked No. 10 in the world at 155 pounds. This will be McGregor’s first fight since a 40-second knockout to Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January 2020, and his first time at lightweight since a 2018 loss to Nurmagomedov. McGregor and Poirier have fought before, with McGregor winning a featherweight bout by TKO in the first round at UFC 178 in 2014.
McGregor (22-4) has won three of his last four fights, the only loss in that span to Nurmagomedov in a title fight. Ireland were the first simultaneous two-time champion in UFC history, winning the lightweight belt over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016 while also holding the featherweight title. McGregor, 32, is the biggest earner in UFC history and even transcended MMA in 2017, switching to boxing in a game against Floyd Mayweather.
Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) has only one defeat in his last eight fights, also against Nurmagomedov. The Louisiana native, who trains from the US Top Team in Florida, just won a unanimous decision victory over Dan Hooker last June. Poirier, 32, is 10-2 (1 NC) since that loss to McGregor in 2014 and has always been a contender for lightweight.
In the co-main event, former three-time Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler will make his long-awaited UFC debut against Hooker. ESPN has Hooker No.6 and Chandler No.7 in the world in lightweight. The winner would also get into the title conversation.
Also on the card, Jessica Eye and Joanne Calderwood meet in a spiteful women’s flyweight match; Amanda Ribas takes on Marina Rodriguez in a female strawweight contender fight; and top prospect Arman Tsarukyan takes on Matt Frevola in a lightweight contest.
Current fight:
Catchweight (150 pounds): Movsar Evloev (13-0, 3-0 UFC, -575) vs. Nik Lentz (30-11-2 1 NC, 14-8-1 1 NC UFC +425)
Results:
Men’s flyweight: Amir Albazi (14-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-5, 0-2 UFC) by unanimous decision
Recap to come.
Still 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)
Female flyweight: 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)
Straw weight: 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)
Female 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)
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