UFC aims to pair Conor McGregor with Dustin Poirier

FILE PHOTO: Conor McGregor v Donald Cerrone – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, United States. January 18, 2020 Conor McGregor before his fight against Donald Cerrone REUTERS/Mike Blake

The UFC is striving to put together a lightweight fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, but McGregor instead is reportedly focused on a fight with Manny Pacquiao.

UFC president Dana White said to Barstool Sports on Wednesday, “We offered Dustin and Conor a fight, so we’re waiting to hear back from them both.”

The match would be held Jan. 23.

Poirier issued a two-word response on Twitter, “I Accept”

However, McGregor stated his intention to oppose Poirier in a charity exhibition, not a UFC-sanctioned bout.

Tweeting a poster promoting the charity matchup, McGregor wrote, “Martial art sparring match in aid of charity. Dublin, December 12th 2020. Free to air spar. McGregor vs Poirier. List of chosen charities available soon. All donations welcome”

ESPN reported that McGregor’s team rebuffed the UFC offer regarding Poirier as it instead attempts to square away a match against the 41-year-old Pacquiao, a Filipino boxing legend.

McGregor, 32, has held UFC titles in the featherweight and lightweight divisions, but he has been at odds with the promotion since a TKO win over Donald Cerrone in UFC 246 on Jan. 18. He owns a 22-4 record in mixed martial arts.

Poirier, 31, owns a 26-6 record with one no-contest. In his lone fight of 2020, he beat Dan Hooker by unanimous decision on June 27. His previous bout was a loss by submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a lightweight championship fight at UFC 242 last September.