Conor McGregor promises a combat 'masterpiece' against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257

• Conor McGregor has promised a combat "masterpiece" against Dustin Poirier on January 23.
• It will be the Irish striker's first match for an entire year as he has not competed since annihilating Donald Cerrone in front of 20,000 fans in January 2020.
• An Insider source close to McGregor's camp told us that the fighter has been "crazy motivated," rehearsing kicks and drilling wrestling moves as he hopes to look good at UFC 257.
• The source added that McGregor wants to reclaim his spot at the top of the MMA mountain. "There's a pay-per-view record to beat."

Conor McGregor has promised a combat "masterpiece" against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

The Irish striker has not competed since he beat Donald Cerrone in January 2020, a 40-second knockout win in front of 20,000 people at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

He returns to the Octagon on January 23 for a lightweight match against American Poirier, a bout which will act as the finale to the UFC's third residency at Fight Island, a quarantined area on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

The bout will take place behind-closed-doors as the UFC continues to hold mixed martial arts events during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"I promise a masterpiece," McGregor tweeted on Tuesday.

—Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 5, 2021

An Insider source close to McGregor's camp told us in recent months that the fighter has been "crazy motivated" to perform well when he returns to fight.

McGregor took three specific training partners, together with his coaching team, to a training camp in the sunny Algarve region in Portugal where he has been rehearsing kicks and drilling wrestling moves to prepare for Poirier.

"I presume he thinks Poirier is going to take the fight to the ground." Insider's source said.

The source added that the fighter is determined to reclaim his spot at the top of the MMA mountain. "There's a pay-per-view record to beat."

The UFC boss Dana White is expecting a slobberknocker. "Conor looks damn good, and Poirier is always in shape," he said in December.

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