Some of us thought we would never see this again, but if there is something consistent throughout Conor McGregor’s entire career, is that he’s always been able to surprise the world. On Saturday, January 23rd, 2021, in Yaz Island in Abu Dhabi, The Notorius will come back to official UFC action, when he faces Dustin Poirier, on UFC 257.
McGregor’s last full year of activity was 2019, but it was also marked by legal issues and “early” retirement, which made us think we would never see him in the octagon again. He wasn’t satisfied though, and he had planned to come back and fight three times in 2020, but of course, that was before the pandemic hit and changed the whole world’s plans.
He did get to have one fight though, against Donald Cerrone, on January 18th, on UFC 246. He won this fight via Technical Knockout in just 40 seconds, and it put him on everyone’s radar again. However, as we said, then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and he was unable to fight again. McGregor announced his retirement, again, via Social Media, on June 6th.
Poirier vs. McGregor – Round 1, UFC 178
“The Diamond” and “The Notorious” had fought before already, back in September of 2014, on UFC 178, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas.
Poirier had 10 significant strikes, while McGregor had 9, however, McGregor was able to get the win after landing a massive left hook on Poirier’s ear. The referee had to step in and end the fight at 1:46 into the first round, and this was Poirier’s first UFC loss via KO/TKO.
Poirier vs. McGregor – Round 2, UFC 257
Yaz Island is now UFC’s activity headquarters, after several months of dealing with the pandemic. It’s 2021’s first big UFC event, and probably one of the biggest we’ll have all year, as we all know the kind of attention that McGregor brings from media, fans and everyone involved.
The Irish superstar is favorite to win the fight, -275, while Poirier, American, pays around +200 or a bit more in different sportsbooks. McGregor’s record is 22-4-0 coming into this bout, while Poirier’s is 26-6-0 with 1 No Contest. They both measure the same, 5’ 9”, while Poirier weights 10 more pounds than McGregor, 155 to 145. UFC stats give “The Notorious” 87% chances to win by KO/TKO.
UFC 257 Fight Card
Main Card
– Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor, Lightweight
– Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler, Lightweight
– Jessica Eye vs. Joanne Calderwood, Women’s Flyweight
– Matt Frevola vs. Ottman Azaitar, Lightweight
– Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Ribas, Women’s Strawweight
Preliminary Card
– Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan, Lightweight
– Brad Tavares vs. Antonio Carlos Junior, Middleweight
– Julianna Peña vs Sara McMann, Women’s Bantamweight
– Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Marcin Prachnio, Light Heavyweight
UFC Title Fights for 2021
According to official UFC information, these are the title fights that could be happening this year, understanding that things could still change due to the pandemic.
– Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns, Welterweight, UFC 258
– Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson, Women’s Featherweight, UFC 259
– Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya, Light Heavyweight, UFC 259
– Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling, Bantamweight, UFC 259
– Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou, Heavyweight, UFC 260
– Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega, Heavyweight, UFC 260
