Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor To Fight Justin Gaethje For Interim Title?
Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor To Fight Justin Gaethje For Interim Title?
Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor To Fight Justin Gaethje For Interim Title?
Will Dustin Poirier or Conor McGregor fight Justin Gaethje for the interim UFC Lightweight title? Following the death of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap, the idea suddenly seems far likelier.
The assumption heading into mid-2020 was that Gaethje would square off against Nurmagomedov for the unified belt. Gaethje seemingly earned his title with a dominant victory over former interim champ, Tony Ferguson.
However, with Abdulmanap’s passing as a result of COVID-19, the lightweight title picture is suddenly in flux.
There is a very good chance Nurmagomedov will want to take some time off given how close he and his father were, and there is a chance Gaethje will not want to sit on the sidelines that long.
If that ends up being the case, only two bouts make sense for Gaethje.
The first would be a bout against McGregor, with whom he has had issues in the past and who would come into the match fresh off a win against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
The second would be Poirier, who would come into it off a recent win versus Dan Hooker.
Poirier also has the distinction of having already beaten Gaethje once.
A lot of this obviously depends on Nurmagomedov’s status. If he is ready and willing to fight Gaethje then this entire conversation is moot. However, if he is not – McGregor or Poirier could easily slip into the title picture.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
