John Kavanagh suggests Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier should be for UFC lightweight title

SBG (Straight Blast Gym) founder and Conor McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh has suggested that Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier should be for the UFC lightweight title.

John Kavanagh: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier is a "strange scene"

In a conversation with TheMacLife, John Kavanagh opened up on a myriad of topics. Kavanagh notably asserted that he considers the upcoming Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier fight to be a title bout.

Additionally, John Kavanagh noted that if the fight isn’t for the UFC lightweight title, the winner should at least be accorded the next shot at the title.

Upon being questioned as to whether he believes Conor McGregor would be a UFC world champion in either the lightweight or welterweight divisions in 2021, John Kavanagh stated:

“If he so chooses. Yes. I don’t know what the exact plan is, but I don’t really get why this one (Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier) isn’t for the title; if I’m being a hundred percent honest. Maybe it’s Dana (White). This is a little carrot towards Khabib (Nurmagomedov), you know, ‘do you really want this guy to’…I don’t know. I don’t know those types of games. I don’t involve myself in it. But this, to me, feels like it’s for the (UFC lightweight) belt. But I guess at the very least, the winner of this will be offered a title fight. But who would that be against? It’s a bit of a strange scene we have in front of us, which makes it interesting.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2 is one of the biggest fights in 2021

The first fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier ended with McGregor defeating Poirier via first-round TKO. This fight transpired back in September of 2014 and was contested in the featherweight division.

Both McGregor and Poirier improved in leaps and bounds after their first encounter and subsequently earned several accolades in the combat sports realm. Their highly awaited rematch is scheduled to headline UFC 257 on January 23, 2021. The fight will be contested in the lightweight division.

"I feel like Conor has his measure."@danhardymma believes the rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will go the same way!Watch #OpenMat on YouTube 👉 https://t.co/GGiLczSZwH pic.twitter.com/8Dna4xZEBb

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) November 8, 2020

We go again.💎 @DustinPoirier vs. 🇮🇪 @TheNotoriousMMA 2️⃣. See you Jan 23! #UFC257 pic.twitter.com/9VdkTaLuLh

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) December 13, 2020

The UFC lightweight title is currently held by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has previously defeated both McGregor and Poirier. Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport of MMA in October of this year but hasn’t been stripped of his title as of yet.

That said, many believe that Nurmagomedov could be stripped of his title if he chooses not to return in 2021. In that case, the Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier matchup could be contested with the vacant UFC lightweight title on the line.