Conor McGregor: Is he actually getting his next UFC fight?
Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor has officially come out of retirement for the third time. ESPN announced on Thursday, November 19, McGregor will have a rematch fight against Dustin Poirier this upcoming January. After McGregor’s recent retirement, fans cannot wait for him to return to the Octagon.
McGregor already signed a UFC contract agreement for a rematch with Dustin Poirer. They first went head-to-head back in 2014. The UFC 178 fight ended with McGregor beating Poirer in the first round. Conor McGregor’s fight record at the time was sixteen wins & two defeats.
Conor McGregor told ESPN he signed a contract against the UFC fighter, Dustin Poirer at UFC 257. McGregor signed the agreement last week for the January 23, 2021 fight. The fight will be at 155 pounds and the location has not yet been finalized. According to ESPN, it might happen on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi if everything goes well.
Conor McGregor’s UFC history
McGregor’s career has certainly been one for the books. Conor McGregor made his mixed martial arts career debut in 2007. He soon became one of the top UFC fighters in the world. McGregor’s most impressive UFC title was the featherweight title against Jose Aldo in thirteen seconds. The UFC 194 fight took place in 2015, and is still the fastest victory in UFC history.
Conor McGregor first retired in 2016. The twenty-seven-year-old McGregor took to Twitter to announce his decision. “I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese.” McGregor didn’t participate in the UFC 200 card in 2016. The fighter quickly retracted his hasty tweet and made a statement on April 21, 2016. McGregor blamed it on a dispute with the sport’s promotional heads.
In 2016, Conor McGregor said, “I am paid to fight, I am not yet paid to promote. I have become lost in the game of promotion and forgot about the art of fighting.” Luckily, McGregor continued fighting and later retired for the second time in 2019.
McGregor’s last retirement
McGregor’s last fight before his 2019 retirement was against Russian fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov. The fight concluded with an Irish win, but ended with a post-fight brawl between the fighters. Both Conor McGregor & Nurmagomedov were suspended & fined in October 2018.
Then, Conor McGregor retired again in early 2019, telling his fans: “I wish all my old colleagues well going forward.”
Conor McGregor came out of his 2019 retirement in January 2020 for a fight against America’s Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. McGregor & Cerrone fought in Las Vegas and the fight lasted a full forty-seconds. McGregor didn’t disappoint with such a quick win.
Rumors of McGregor’s return
Fans believed Conor McGregor would return and so did UFC president, Dana White. The UFC president believed McGregor returning in January 2020 was never much of a concern due to his incredible track record. In an interview with Barstool Sport, White said “If Conor McGregor says he wants to fight, Conor McGregor will show up.”
The fighter retired for the third time in June 2020. Conor McGregor ended his long MMA run with twenty-two wins and four defeats at the age of thirty-two. McGregor captioned a picture alongside his mother on Twitter saying, “Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting. Thanks for all the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!”
Conor McGregor is currently treating his newly-trained body with therapeutic cupping for his fight against Dustin Poirer. According to SkySports, McGregor announced he was working with a charity, explaining: “I am also really excited about aiding Dustin’s charity ‘The Good Fight Foundation’, which through the donation, will build a gym or premise for disadvantaged youth in his (Poirer’s) childhood hometown.”
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Thanks to Dustin Poirer, Conor McGregor has officially returned for a rematch. McGregor said, “I am very grateful to be about to return and get to do what I love again.”
Are you excited for Conor McGregor’s return to the ring? Yes or no, do you think he’ll be back in the ring long? Let us know in the comments!
