McGregor, Poirier eye charity MMA fight in Ireland: 'Zero to do with the UFC'
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are taking it upon themselves to end their time on the sideline.
The former two-division champion, who's been in a battle spat with UFC president Dana White over the promotion's inability to land him his second fight of 2020, made a unique offer to fellow lightweight contender Dustin Poirer on Monday:
Conor? https://t.co/etpDibodtI
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) September 29, 2020
December 12th in the Point depot, Ireland. No weigh ins.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 29, 2020
Open weight, unified rules.
I will arrange all travel fare for you and family.
McGregor Sports and Entertainment MMA, in association with The Good Fight Foundation.
Charity Mixed Martial Arts!
Poirier was quick to take up the Irishman's proposal of a Dec. 12 charity bout in Ireland:
Excellent! We shall take it offline and progress the process from here. Good man Dustin! I respect your philanthropic efforts greatly, as well as how you conducted yourself post our first fight. You have my respect!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 29, 2020
The American is in the midst of his own dispute with the UFC after recently missing out on a fight with Tony Ferguson at UFC 254 because of White's apparent unwillingness to meet the ex-interim champion's financial demands.
December 12 Circle your calendars#peahead
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) September 29, 2020
It remains to be seen how feasible McGregor's plan is. Both fighters are under exclusive contracts with the UFC. Moreover, McGregor is widely recognized as the sport's biggest pay-per-view draw, so the promotion is unlikely to allow him to fight in MMA without taking a cut.
McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match in 2017, but the bout was made in partnership with the UFC. "The Notorious" was teasing another crossover into boxing, this time against Manny Pacquiao, before Monday's interaction with Poirier.
The UFC's relationship with McGregor appears to be strained after he leaked a series of personal messages between him and White last Friday. The Irishman said he released the DMs to prove he wants to fight, while White called the leak "one of the dirtiest things you can do."
McGregor was planning a "season" for 2020, which started with a TKO win over Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in January. But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC has been unable to get its most famous star back in the Octagon, much to McGregor's frustration.
Poirier - who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Dan Hooker in June - leads The Good Fight Foundation, which does charitable work such as building water wells in Uganda, among other things.