UFC President Dana White believes the upcoming rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will be “completely different” than their first fight.
McGregor and Poirier first met in the featherweight division in 2014. On that night, McGregor won by first-round knockout, taking another leap up the featherweight ranks in the process.
The pair are now set to meet for a second time in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23 in Abu Dhabi. This time around, they’ll collide in the 155-pound lightweight division, and the expectation is that the winner will be well positioned for a crack at the belt—whether reigning champ Khabib Nurmagomedov vacates the title or not.
While McGregor won decisively the first time he met Poirier, White believes we’re in for a very different matchup this time around.
“It’s a completely different fight,” White told BT Sport (via MMA Junkie). “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.”
Heading into this anticipated UFC 257 rematch, much has been made of McGregor and Poirier’s rippling physiques—clear indications that they’re taking their training very seriously.
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White, for his part, is not surprised in the least to see McGregor and Poirier in such incredible shape.
“Conor looks damn good, and Poirier’s always in shape,” the UFC boss concluded. “I expect this to be a good fight.”
Who do you think will win when Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier collide for a second time this January?