UFC: Pivotal lightweight matchup between Eddie Alvarez vs Dustin Poirier slated to be rebooked for UFC Calgary in July

UFC lightweight division is now warming up. Finally the division has a champion, which gives some clarity to fighters about their future. Due to it being considered the most stacked division in the UFC, there’s an insane amount of rush in the top 15. A number of fighters are just 1-2 fights away from their title shot. Considering this competition, pivotal matchup between former UFC lightweight champion and #3 ranked contender Eddie Alvarez vs #4 ranked contender Dustin Poirier is slated to be rebooked for UFC Calgary on July 28.

Alvarez and Gaethje first met at UFC 211 back in May 2017 in Dallas, Texas. Alvarez came in as a heavy favourite against Poirier, however Poirier had Alvarez hurt badly in the second round and was probably cruising towards an important victory. However, Alvarez then landed two illegal knees on a grounded Poirier. With the Texas commission not operating under the new unified rules, referee Herb Dean declared the fight a No Contest as he did not believe Alvarez knew Poirier was a grounded opponent at the time. (via Twitter):

Not official, but I'm hearing UFC is interested in doing the Alvarez/Poirier rematch in Calgary on July 28. That's a heck of a main event if it comes together.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 1, 2018

A lot has changed since then. Alvarez put up a ‘Fight of the year’ capable performance handing former WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje his first loss. Poirier has looked unstoppable, piling up two consecutive stoppage victories against Anthony Pettis and Justin Gaethje. Poirier mentioned that he demanded the Alvarez rematch as many as five times but Alvarez has always rejected them. Alvarez however denies this statement of Poirier. Reports of negotiations between a potential title fight between Poirier and Khabib Nurmagomedov were also slated however Poirier would like to sort out this unfinished business against Alvarez.

With the Calgary card already getting it’s co-main event between Jose Aldo Jr. vs Jeremy Stephens and 9 other fights. The main event slot is still vacant. Reports of Valentina Shevchenko vs Nicco Montano are also mentioned however Alvarez vs Poirier would also be a treat for the fans.