Reports: Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier Agree to Fight at UFC 257 on Jan. 23

After some public posturing and haggling, it appears that Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have finally agreed to square off in a lightweight bout at UFC 257.

MMAFighting.com reported that both sides came to terms late Monday night However, the report also states that McGregor is pushing to have the bout moved to UFC 256 on Dec. 12, since that card lost its original headliner of Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson at the beginning of the week, and the Irish star has recently expressed a desire to compete before 2021.

The promotion was reportedly having difficulty getting Poirier to agree to a deal, but ESPN on Tuesday also confirmed that Poirier signed a bout agreement. McGregor already previously verbally agreed to the fight but has not yet signed a bout agreement, according to ESPN. In September, McGregor and Poirier struck an informal agreement over Twitter to lock horns in an exhibition match in Ireland on Dec. 12 for charity before the UFC stepped in and offered both lightweights the fight.

UFC president Dana White told ESPN that a bout agreement was sent to McGregor on Tuesday.

"Jan. 23 on Fight Island, if everything goes according to plans," White said of the bout. "There are a ton of if's right now. I have to see where the world is at in the next couple of months."

UFC 257 will take place on Jan. 23, and the card will also include a strawweight showdown between Michelle Waterson and Amanda Ribas.

McGregor and Poirier initially squared off at featherweight at UFC 178 in September 2014. The Irishman won that contest via first-round knockout. Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January. He later announced his retirement for a third time.

Poirier was reportedly in negotiations to meet Tony Ferguson at UFC 254, but that proposed bout fell apart when “The Diamond” and the promotion were unable to come to terms. The American Top Team representative last appeared at UFC on ESPN 12, when he took a five-round verdict over Dan Hooker on June 12.

Note: This item was updated at approximately 5 p.m. ET to include a quote from Dana White.