Paris (AFP)

Mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Conor McGregor made his third comeback against American Dustin Poirier on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, an event cleverly orchestrated by the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) who then dreams of a rematch between the Irishman and Khabib Nurmagomedov, for the moment still withdrawn from the octagon.

McGregor's career (32) is definitely an eternal restart and the fiery lightweight has no equal when it comes to turning up the heat and creating a buzz.

Six months after announcing the umpteenth stop of his career, he is back in the cage to recover his status as a leading figure in the UFC and at the same time receive a nice check for five million dollars (4.1 M EUR).

An amount that should inevitably swell with income from pay per view.

"The Notorious", accustomed to trouble with the law, will also try to make people forget his latest escapades, he who had been placed in custody in Corsica for two days in September following a complaint for attempted sexual assault and of sexual exhibition.

Released two days later, without prosecution, he "vigorously" denied "any accusation of bad behavior".

For his reunion with the UFC, McGregor, who remains on a lightning victory in 40 seconds against the American Donald Cerrone in January 2020, did not choose the easy way.

He had certainly easily beaten Poirier (32) in 2014 by knockout in the first round, but the American has won five fights since November 2017, suffering only one defeat against Nurmagomedov.

"The plan is to beat Conor McGregor by any means necessary: ​​blood, guts and then fight for the world title again," he said in a challenge.

- Low profile -

Adept at cookie-cutter statements and provocations, McGregor instead kept a low profile Thursday at a press conference.

"I would like to have a drink with him, he blurted. I am honored to face him. We are both competitive and it is going to be a great fight. But I have a lot of weapons in my hand. arsenal and can't wait to release them and put on a great performance for all the fans around the world. "

The return of a headliner of McGregor's caliber, which will take place in the bubble of the "Fight Island" set up in Abu Dhabi to avoid the risks associated with the coronavirus, is also a blessing for Dana White , the boss of the UFC.

In the cold last year, the two men ended up patching things up and hope to be able to mount a very profitable rematch against the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov in the coming weeks.

Between McGregor and the "Dagestan Eagle" there is still an old dispute to be settled.

The Irishman and Russian clashed in October 2018 and the fight, dominated by Nurmagomedov, ended with an all-out brawl and suspension for the two superstars.

Unless McGregor, who had bowed only on stop of the referee in the 10th round against the American legend Floyd Mayweather in August 2017 in Las Vegas for a sum of between 100 and 150 million dollars, gives up a new times to boxing sirens.

In September, there were reports of negotiations with Filipino Manny Pacquiao.

© 2021 AFP