Dustin Poirier reveals he agreed to fight Nate Diaz on 24 hours notice at UFC 279: ‘It’s a crazy story’
Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz is a fight that somehow never happened, despite both men showing interest in it.
The two were booked at UFC 230 but it didn’t come to fruition, as both men claim the other pulled out. However, at UFC 279, as Diaz was booked to face Khamzat Chimaev, Poirier, who was in Louisana at the time said the UFC called him to fly to Vegas and fight Diaz on 24 hours’ notice.
Dustin Poirier said he agreed to take the fight, but the UFC ended up going in a different direction.
“I accepted a fight against him on 24 hours’ notice, I was gonna fly to Las Vegas and weigh in on the same day, the night of the Khamzat [Chimaev] stuff,” Poirier said on The MMA Hour. “It’s a crazy story the way it worked. [Coach] Mike Brown flew in on Thursday to Louisiana, just to come visit. We went to dinner and went to sleep. Friday morning, a bunch of missed calls and texts…my management, Hunter [Campbell], everybody from the UFC reaching out ‘Hey, he’s not going to make weight. Can you make 170?’…I had to do a Zoom call, I have an Android so I had to use my wife’s phone…
“I’m Facetiming with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, stepping on the scale so I can show them I could make weight safely. I’m like 176, I was gonna be 170 the same day. I was gonna fly out the next day…they somehow switched it up. He fought Tony [Ferguson], and then [Kevin Holland] fought Khamzat at a different weight. They switched it around, but I was in and I was gonna go.”
Had Poirier actually fought Diaz on 24 hours’ notice at UFC 279 it would have been a crazy move from ‘The Diamond’ who had been chasing that fight for quite some time.
Dustin Poirier wants to box Nate Diaz
With Dustin Poirier still never fighting Nate Diaz, he says he’s open to boxing the Stockton native so the two can finally fight.
Poirier has hinted about retiring from MMA, but ‘The Diamond’ says he would box Diaz as he believes it would be a fun fight.
Poirier says a boxing match against Diaz would excite him and something he would like to do. Whether or not it comes to fruition is to be seen.
