McGregor returns to UFC with Poirier rematch

Las Vegas, November 24: Conor McGregor's return to UFC has been confirmed with the Irishman set for a rematch against Dustin Poirier in January.

The 32-year-old will tackle American Poirier on January 23, with the Octagon showdown reportedly set to take place in Abu Dhabi.

It has been a fight that has been spoken about for several weeks, with UFC president Dana White saying in October that McGregor had yet to sign the contract for the clash.

Last week, the McGregor-affiliated website The Mac Life announced the paperwork had gone through.

McGregor retweeted news of that report and included it in his Instagram story, although he did not immediately make any personal comment about the agreement.

The clash will go ahead at lightweight, and it marks the end of a short spell away from the sport for McGregor.

The rematch is OFFICIAL!

💎 @DustinPoirier faces 🇮🇪 @TheNotoriousMMA on Jan 23. #UFC257 pic.twitter.com/G8IAfISBPZ

— UFC (@ufc) November 23, 2020

He announced his retirement in June, but the former featherweight and lightweight champion has been unable to resist another eye-catching clash.

McGregor and 31-year-old Poirier will be reunited, over six years after they went head to head at featherweight in UFC 178.

That was a one-sided affair, with McGregor triumphing after just one minute and 46 seconds of the first round. However, Poirier is now ranked second, behind Justin Gaethje, in the division that has lost its champion Khabib Nurmagomedov to retirement.

White has said the McGregor-Poirier battle will not be a title fight, and has indicated he expects Khabib to also come out of retirement.