White: UFC eyeing Poirier-McGregor 3 for summer
It appears a trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor is in the cards.
"When you have two guys that are in their positions - Dustin is the No. 1-ranked guy in the world, you got Conor who is ranked No. 6 - and they want the trilogy, you got to go with the trilogy," UFC president Dana White told ESPN's "Get Up" on Friday, according to MMA Fighting's Alexander K. Lee.
"We're probably going to try to put that fight together this summer," White added.
Poirier defeated McGregor via second-round TKO in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 257 last month. Both fighters expressed interest in the trilogy bout afterward. McGregor previously beat Poirier by first-round knockout in 2014.
White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto on Thursday that Poirier-McGregor 3 would not be for the vacant lightweight title if it materializes. The executive is still hopeful that reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again despite his October retirement.
White said the UFC plans to book several matchups among top lightweights, with the best fighter from the mini-tournament emerging as the new champion if Nurmagomedov relinquishes the title.
Poirier-McGregor 2 reportedly tied for the second-highest-selling pay-per-view in UFC history.
Poirier extended his winning streak to two with the upset victory over McGregor, while the Irishman fell to 1-2 over his past three contests.