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Conor McGregor v Dustin Poirier isn’t official but it appears to be nearing a deal. Both men want the fight which is a good start. But when McGregor is involved it’s impossible to know what direction negotiations will go. In sum, don’t get excited until they sign on the dotted line. But tentative optimism is fair.

Poirier’s last fight was a defeat to Khabib Nurmagamedov. ‘The Diamond’ lost the first title fight of his career after a brilliant run at lightweight. Meanwhile, McGregor crushed Donald Cerrone last January and hoped to compete multiple times this year. However, the global health crisis got in the way.

Furthermore, McGregor has made his intentions to fight Manny Pacquaio in a boxing match next year clear. Now he has confirmed that he wants to fight Poirier as a warm-up for the clash with the ‘Pacman.’ Check out their comments below.

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Ulterior Motive

Poirier signaled his belief that McGregor wanted the fight as a warm-up for Pacquaio. First of all, it gets McGregor’s name out there again and generates hype. Furthermore, it would be a good way for him to lose the ring rust before facing off with one of the greatest boxers of all time. Finally, ‘The Diamond’ is also a southpaw like Pacquaio.

“Going back to why I think he wants this fight, it’s because he’s angling to fight Pacquiao. That was in the news. So I don’t know if the UFC wants him to fight one more time before they allow him to fight Pacquiao or if he just wants to get one more this year before starting next year with the Pacquiao fight, but what better way to do it against another southpaw?

I think that might be his mindset. He wants to fight another southpaw before he fights another southpaw. I don’t know what’s going on, but I think that’s what the alignment is.”

Confirmed

In sum, McGregor confirmed that Poirier’s suspicions are correct. He respectfully called ‘The Diamond’ tough competition. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out if it comes to fruition. Obviously, Poirier will want to spoil the party but McGregor is very confident that he can beat the Lafayette-native again. The Irishman tweeted:

“Correct. Southpaw box style. Continue to sharpen my MMA skills with some tough competition, while leading into my Manny bout preparation. It’s not easy going between both sports and then coming back to the one sport again. Just want to keep sharp guys, that’s all. It’s only fair.”

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Exciting Times

Anytime McGregor fights, it is an event. It brings drama, excitement, and controversy. While his relationship with the UFC has deteriorated over the past few months, he knows how valuable he is to them. Everybody comes together when money is involved.

Meanwhile, Poirier will see this as a massive opportunity to get back in the title picture. He was bitterly disappointed by his performance against Khabib and believes that he can do much better. Furthermore, the opportunity for revenge against the Irishman is one that he can’t turn down, both financially and in terms of legacy.

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