Conor McGregor Opens as Huge Underdog in Potential 4th Fight With Dustin Poirier
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC. Pictured: Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor
What happens next for Conor McGregor in the UFC is unknown, and that's without even considering his recovery from a broken leg suffered against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on Saturday night.
What we do know is that McGregor will be a huge underdog if a fourth fight happens against Poirier before the end of 2022.
The former champion opened at +200 according to odds released by the SuperBook in Las Vegas and Colorado. Poirier is the -240 favorite. The fight must happen by December 31, 2022 for action to count.
If the fight were to happen, and if the line closed at the current number, it would make McGregor the biggest underdog of his career. Even against Khabib Nurmagomedov, whom many consider the best lightweight of all time, McGregor opened as a +175 underdog and closed closer to +170.
Whether or not McGregor's star continues to shine is up for debate, but sportsbooks and bettors care about results. The results say McGregor is not the fighter he was when he closed as a -255 favorite against Poirier in their first meeting back in 2014. He's not the same fighter who took down Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously.
McGregor has now lost three of his last four fights in the octagon, only defeating a sacrificial participant in Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in a return to action following a long layoff after a loss to Nurmagomedov. The way Saturday's fight against Poirier ended was unfortunate, but McGregor was down on all three scorecards, including 10-8 on two of the cards.
Dana White said following the fight he wants to give McGregor a fourth crack at Poirier once he's healed, but there's no timeline on the recovery. In the meantime, Poirier will challenge Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title sometime near the end of 2021, according to the champion on Saturday night.
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