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When will Conor McGregor return to the cage? That is a question that reporters ask after every UFC pay-per-view and it was no different this weekend after UFC 260.
When speaking to the media at the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White was asked for a timeline for McGregor’s return and whether he will be completing a trilogy with Dustin Poirier.
Neither men currently have bouts scheduled, and with Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira scheduled to fight for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262 it would make sense for Poirier vs. McGregor III to determine a No. 1 contender.
And, according to Dana White, that is currently the plan with Poirier vs. McGregor III targeted for this summer in Las Vegas.
“That’s the plan,” White told reporters, as transcribed by MMAjunkie.com. “I hope so (that it’s Poirier vs. McGregor 3). We all hope so.”
UFC 264 is tentatively scheduled to take place July 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
.@DustinPoirier vs. @TheNotoriousMMA is targeted for #UFC264 on July 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, says Dana White.@Justin_Gaethje could be the backup.
Full interview: https://t.co/iLdKtItCwR pic.twitter.com/4aeyKwe8Zi
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) March 28, 2021
Following their latest fight at UFC 257 in which McGregor was knocked out in the second round, the brash Irishman said he picked the wrong opponent while looking towards a boxing match against Manny Pacquiao that is now off of the table.
And after watching the fight back, McGregor began looking for a trilogy fight “for all the marbles” against Poirier in the future.
“[One] a piece [sic] now with a Trilogy bout for all the marbles!” McGregor wrote on Instagram. “Not a trilogy I was expecting, nor the tactical affair I was anticipating, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t meant to be. This is exactly how this was always meant to be!
“A little single disciplined in my approach and stance with mostly boxing. It’s what I get for picking this bout and opponent as a precursor to a boxing match against Pacman. I deserved to get the legs kicked off me going in with this thinking.”
Now, it looks like he will get his wish.
