Conor McGregor appears ready to defy the UFC by seeking to arrange a charity MMA fight against Dustin Poirier outside of the promotion by the end the of year.
“Hey bro! You want to do an MMA charity fight?” McGregor publicly wrote to Poirier on Twitter. “Zero to do with the ufc. I will donate half a mill towards your charity for it. Sell it on ppv or work a tv deal and we work out other charities that are close to my heart also. I am engaged in many. Strictly a charity “exhibition.”
“In the Point Depot, Ireland. No weigh ins. Open weight, unified rules. I will arrange all travel fare for you and family. McGregor Sports and Entertainment MMA, in association with The Good Fight Foundation. Charity Mixed Martial Arts!”
It didn’t take Poirier long to reply, and it appears he’s all-in on the idea.
“I’m in! Lets do it!” Poirier replied. “A lot of people will benefit from this.”
“Excellent!” McGregor responded. “We shall take it offline and progress the process from here. Good man Dustin! I respect your philanthropic efforts greatly, as well as how you conducted yourself post our first fight. You have my respect!”
At this stage it’s unclear whether both McGregor and Poirier’s contract with the UFC would enable them to engage in a charity fight without the promotion’s permission.
Both fighters are currently at loggerheads with the UFC. McGregor angered Dana White when he shared DM’s of the two discussing a potential fight with Diego Sanchez earlier in the year, which the UFC President said broke the “man code.”
Meanwhile, Poirier pulled out of a fight with Tony Ferguson recently due to a breakdown in talks with the UFC over the financial side of the deal.
If the two do get their way and the charity fight does take place then it would be a rematch of their 2014 encounter in the UFC, which saw McGregor emerge victorious by way of TKO.
McGregor has since gone to win both the featherweight and lightweight titles, while Poirier has compiled a 10-2 (+1nc) and fought for the 155lb belt last year.
