Should the UFC try to book Dustin Poirier?
April 12, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Dustin Poirier at the weigh-in for UFC 236 at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Photo Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been a little over a month since Dustin Poirier (30-9) once again challenged for the lightweight title at UFC 302. Poirier was ready, but was forced to submit in the final round by champion Islam Makhachev. After the fight, Poirier expressed doubts about whether he would ever fight again.
The Diamond has made it clear that he has always tried to climb the mountain to become undisputed champion, reaching the highest point in 2019 when he defeated Max Holloway to become interim UFC lightweight champion. He fought Khabib Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi to unify the belts and was defeated.
Poirier is now 0-3 title fights and is 35 years old. He wasn’t sure what his goal was in terms of continuing his fighting career. However, it didn’t take long for Poirier to get the urge again and last week he posted on X that he wanted one more fight.
Should the UFC try to book Poirier – Diaz again?
Dustin Poirier is looking for a fight that he’s excited about and can get pumped up for. Today on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Poirier said he’s not sure if he’d fight again and that it ultimately comes down to who he might face. He’s not going to fight just for the sake of fighting, it has to be an opponent that excites him.
How about a fourth fight with Conor McGregor? Poirier made it clear that he is no fan of the former UFC champion, with whom he shared the Octagon three times and beat McGregor twice. Granted, the last fight ended because McGregor broke his leg. In the first two fights, the two men won by knockout.
Due to the personal attacks McGregor has continued to throw at Poirier and his family, The Diamond hinted that he would be interested in this fight. A trilogy fight with Justin Gaethje makes sense considering they have also traded knockouts. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see this trilogy. There is one fight that the UFC has never been able to make happen but that Poirier is still very interested in and that is a fight with Nate Diaz.
Diaz defeated Jorge Masvidal in a boxing match last weekend and is open to a return to the UFC for the right opponent. Although he has mentioned welterweight champion Leon Edwards, Poirier is the perfect opponent for Diaz. Jon Anik said this week that he would like to finally make that fight happen. In my opinion, now is the right time for both men at this stage of their careers.