Conor McGregor will face Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas in July. - AFP pic
Conor McGregor will face Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas in July. - AFP pic

LOS ANGELES: Conor McGregor's trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier will take place before a capacity crowd in Las Vegas in July, Ultimate Fighting Championship chief Dana White said on Wednesday.

In a video posted to Twitter, UFC chief White said the T-Mobile Arena would stage the fight on July 10.

It will mark the first time a capacity crowd has attended a UFC fight in Nevada since the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I'm so happy to finally be able to say Vegas is back," White said.

"This summer Las Vegas is back open for business and on July 10, UFC 264 will be at the T-Mobile Arena here in Vegas at 100% capacity. Ladies and gentlemen, that's 20,000 fans."

UFC has staged events in Las Vegas, Florida and Abu Dhabi since the pandemic erupted, mostly behind closed doors with strict safety protocols in place.

However with restrictions gradually being lifted across the United States, fans are returning to sporting events.

A UFC card in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 24 is set for a full house, and on Tuesday, Nevada governor Steve Sisolak said the state was targeting allowing venues to operate at 100% capacity by June 1.

The trilogy fight comes after American brawler Poirier demolished McGregor by knockout during their second meeting in January.

That one-sided bout followed McGregor's first-round knockout victory over Poirier in their first meeting in 2014.

McGregor, 32, will be chasing his first victory since January 2020 while the 32-year-old Poirier (27 wins, five defeats) will be looking for a third consecutive win.--AFP