Dustin Poirier on Why He Opted for a Third Fight With Conor McGregor Over a Title Fight

Speaking to ESPN (via MMAWeekly), Dustin Poirier explained why he opted for a third fight against Conor McGregor over fighting for the UFC lightweight title again. Below are some highlights.

Dustin Poirier on the decision for a McGregor rematch over a title fight: “I made that decision pretty easily. If I’m the best in the world then I’m going to beat Conor and fight for the belt. It’s like doubling down on yourself. I”m a gambling man and I believe in my skills in fighting, so I just doubled down.”

Poirier on how he is going to make more money fighting McGregor over a title fight: “Me fighting for the belt, I wouldn’t get pay-per-view (revenue). I would have gotten a base salary of probably not even a third of my base salary for this fight. It just doesn’t make sense. I’m a prize fighter. I’m going to make six, seven, ten times the amount of money to fight Conor again – Like I said, I’m a father, a husband, and I have priorities. I wouldn’t have gotten pay-per-view points for the title fight. The Conor fight, I have pay-per-view points built in. There’s no question.”

On pushing for the fight to happen at a heavier weight: “I was pushing the fight at a heavier weight. I wanted to fight at 170 because I didn’t want to cut down to 155 again. But he wants to do it at 155. The UFC wants it at 155, so I know what that means. That means the winner of this fight is fighting for the belt. My goal still is to be the world champion.”

McGregor vs. Poirier III will happen at UFC 264 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada on July 10. The fight card will be broadcast live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.