UFC President Dana White has tentatively scheduled Dustin Poirier as Conor McGregor’s next opponent.
McGregor will appear before the Nevada State Athletic Commission later this month for a disciplinary hearing regarding his behaviour at UFC 229.
The Dubliner was defeated by Khabib Nurmagomedov but both men were involved in an ugly post-fight melee that will likely see the two fighters disciplined for their actions.
However, once the hearing has concluded and a timeline for McGregor’s return is formalised, White has indicated that he would like to see the former two-weight world champion fight Poirier.
“The ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone fight has never, ever been discussed,” White told MMA Fighting. “That’s completely not true. I said the fight that makes sense right now is probably Poirier. And then Tony gets a shot at the title and the two winners fight each other. But I’m not sure exactly on a date when Conor is gonna fight yet. We have to get through this Nevada State Athletic Commission stuff first.”
McGregor fought Poirier in 2014 and won via a first round stoppage but the American has since compiled an impressive 8-1 record with headline wins over Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis and Justin Gaethje.
He has also won the performance of the night award and two consecutive fight of the night awards in his last three fights and would be an intriguing opponent for McGregor given the nature of his loss to Nurmagomedov in October.
Poirier was quick to react to the news and posted a picture of a red pair of panties, which McGregor popularised in MMA during a press conference exchange with Rafael dos Anjos in 2016.
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— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 1, 2018
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 1, 2018
