Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier: Dana White says he is “looking for someone to be a backup”


Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier: Dana White says he is “looking for someone to be a backup”

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will be facing off at UFC 264 on the 10th of July. This will be their third meeting after the scores were evened following Poirier’s win at UFC 257. McGregor had won the first fight, seven years ago, via. first round knockout at UFC 178.

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With Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier inching closer, UFC President Dana White has raised a new concern that he has been looking for a backup fighter for the trilogy fight. In an interview with Tom Taylor of Bleacher Report, White revealed that he has actively been searching for a backup, given the sheer magnitude of the event.

‘Nobody’s kicking down my door’ – Dana White

White was quoted as saying, “I’m actually looking for someone right now to be the backup on that card. Nobody’s jumping out. Nobody’s kicking down my door.”

Poirier and McGregor hardly miss weight or pull out of a fight. The pair have had no history of struggling to make weight, and always turn up on time. However, there is nothing wrong with Dana wanting to have a backup due to the intensity of the fight.

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Weighing up the options for the backup fighter for Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier

There are quite a lot of fighters Dana White can choose from. First, there is Justin Gaethje who has not fought since his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov in October, last year. He is still ranked number 2 in the lightweight rankings.

Gaethje’s friend Beneil Dariush is ranked number 3 in the lightweight rankings, and he can fill in as well. The Iranian who has been wanting to fight Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title, can stake his claim as the number 1 contender if he gets to fight either McGregor or Dustin.

There are a few other options as well, like Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos; will have to wait and watch how Dana White takes things forward.

Also Read : Who won the heated rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier?

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