Conor McGregor does not look past Dustin Poirier, but ‘The Notorious’ certainly has a big picture in mind as he prepares for their UFC 257 main event on Saturday on ‘Fight Island’. And the big picture includes staying active and ultimately fighting the lightweight belt.
The current champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, has made it clear that he intends to retire, and it would appear that Nurmagomedov is relinquishing his belt, so Saturday’s main event has major consequences for the title.
ESPN has Poirier the no. 3 and McGregor the no. 10 in the world at 155 pounds. This will be McGregor’s first fight since a 40-second result over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January 2020, and his first in lightweight since a 2018 defeat against Nurmagomedov. McGregor and Poirier have fought before, with McGregor winning a featherweight fight through the first round of TKO at UFC 178 in 2014.
McGregor (22-4) has won three of his last four fights, with the only loss during that period as far as Nurmagomedov is concerned in a title game. The Irish native was the first simultaneous double champion in UFC history and won the lightweight fight against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016 while holding the featherweight title. McGregor, 32, is the biggest money maker in UFC history and even surpassed MMA in 2017 and went boxing in a game against Floyd Mayweather.
Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) has lost just one in his last eight fights, also against Nurmagomedov. The Louisiana native, who trains from the U.S. Top Team in Florida, scored a unanimous victory over Dan Hooker last June. Poirier, 32, has been 10-2 (1 NC) since losing to McGregor in 2014 and has been a steady competitor at lightweight.
In the event, Michael Chandler, the former three-time lightweight champion of Bellator, will make his long-awaited UFC debut against Hooker. ESPN has Hooker No. 6 and Chandler No. 7 in the lightweight in the world. The winner would also place himself in the title conversation.
Also on the map, Jessica Eye and Joanne Calderwood meet in a women’s weight loss competition; Amanda Ribas faces Marina Rodriguez in a match with a female straw weight; and top prospect Arman Tsarukyan tackles Matt Frevola in a lightweight match.
Fighting in progress:
Catch weight (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 & # 39 ;s Flyweight: Amir Albazi (14-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-5, 0-2 UFC) by unanimous decision
Summary to come.
More 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)
Women’s 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)
Strawweight: 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)
Peace 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)