Report: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier booked for UFC 257 in January

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor (22-4-0) is closer to stepping back into the octagon than he's been since January. 

MMA Fighting's Damon Martin is reporting that McGregor and Dustin Poirier (26-6-0) have agreed to terms for a fight that will occur in the main event of the UFC 257 pay-per-view on Jan. 23. ESPN's Ariel Helwani added that only Poirier has signed a fight agreement as of Tuesday afternoon and that McGregor will also soon put pen to paper to make the match official. 

UFC boss Dana White offered McGregor a January fight versus Poirier last month shortly after the eccentric Irishman tweeted that he'd accept a rematch of the September 2014 contest that he won. Both fighters have changed dramatically since then, though, and both are viewed as contenders for the lightweight championship allegedly relinquished by Khabib Nurmagomedov following his victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October. 

White has since said he believes Nurmagomedov will unretire and return to the promotion, but such a fight may not involve a title. 

Poirier has won five of his last six bouts, with his only loss over that period coming to Nurmagomedov in September 2019. McGregor, meanwhile, hasn't competed since he stopped Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds on Jan. 18. 

McGregor previously suggested that the upcoming fight should occur at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, so that a reduced percentage of fans could attend while maintaining social distance. Helwani reported that the UFC hasn't seriously explored that option, and Martin wrote that UFC 257 will likely occur in Las Vegas.

The UFC Apex in Vegas has hosted multiple shows without paying fans in attendance during the worsening coronavirus pandemic.