Dana White has spelled out everything that is on the line for the Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor trilogy fight this Saturday at UFC 264.
Heading into this weekend’s blockbuster UFC 264 event, there has been speculation about what all will be at stake when Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor meet for their trilogy bout. Dustin Poirier himself has speculated what is on the line for McGregor, theorizing that the Irishman is fighting for relevancy and legitimacy as a top contender in today’s cutthroat lightweight division.
Many fans and media members have speculated that what’s on the line is simply a title shot. This assumption was supplied some added weight when it was revealed this morning that lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will be present cageside watching the bout unfold.
Dana White Lays Out The Stakes For The UFC 264 Main Event
Earlier today, the boss himself UFC President Dana White has come forward to put all the speculation to rest and detail what exactly is on the line in the UFC 264 main event and whether or not a title shot is among the night’s big stakes.
“Listen, Conor McGregor is a competitor,” White said in an interview with MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “All you’ve got to do is look. The guy has a ton of money. He doesn’t need to fight anymore. He wants to fight. He’s a fighter to the core. What’s at stake is, yes, he wants to be back on top. He goes in there and beats the No. 1 guy in the world, he’s probably going to get the next title shot. The other thing Conor McGregor likes probably more than competition is money. When he fights, he makes a sh*tload of money. These are all still very important things to him at this point in his life.”
White was then gently pressed for a direct answer on whether or not the winner for Poirier and McGregor would receive a title shot, to which White threw out the bulletproof figure of “100%” for the odds of that happening.
How Much Longer Will McGregor Continue To Fight After UFC 264?
Regardless of the outcome on Saturday, Conor McGregor will obviously factor into the UFC’s future plans, that is of course provided he wants to continue fighting despite being a multi-millionaire. The UFC boss expressed his flexibility to listening to McGregor’s ideas in the aftermath of the fight and also defended McGregor against some of his critics.
“I know who Conor McGregor is on the fight side. You have a lot of guys who talk a lot of sh*t publicly. Most of it’s not true,” White said. “The thing is with Conor McGregor is this guy has always stepped up and been willing to fight anybody, anywhere, anytime. He’s extremely wealthy. The question is, ‘How much more of this does he want?’ How hungry is he? We’ll find out on Saturday night. Win, lose, or draw, we’ll find out probably a couple weeks after that what he wants to do next.”
You will not want to miss what transpires this Saturday night. Will Conor McGregor earn another world title shot and find redemption? Or will Dustin Poirier reaffirm himself as the better man and the only #1 contender in the lightweight division?
UFC 264 takes place this Saturday, July 10, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will be available for purchase on ESPN+.
What do you think would be next for Conor McGregor if he loses to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264?
