Dustin Poirier Eager To Fight At UFC 249, Thinks He Beats Tony Ferguson Up
Dustin Poirier is eager to fight at UFC 249 — regardless of the opponent.
Poirier put his name in the hat to face Tony Ferguson on short notice on April 18 after it was revealed on Monday that Khabib Nurmagomedov would no longer be able to compete on the card as he was stuck in Russia due to a cross-border travel ban.
As far as replacement opponents go for Ferguson, only Justin Gaethje has reportedly been offered by the UFC. But it also remains to be seen if Ferguson would fight somebody else or just end up waiting for the Nurmagomedov matchup to take place at a later date once the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
Poirier, meanwhile, was initially slated to face Dan Hooker at UFC San Diego in May. But as far as he is concerned, an opportunity to face Ferguson is something he can’t miss out on — especially as he feels he matches up well with him.
“The Diamond” is also willing to face Gaethje in a rematch as he told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on Tuesday:
“In the midst of what was happening yesterday — an opportunity like that? — of course, I’m 100% jumping on,” Poirier said when asked if he would fight amid the coronavirus pandemic. “No disrespect to Dan Hooker but guys like him are going to be around. … I just want to be 100% prepared. That’s all. I like to fight and I’m down with the fight but I just want to be prepared.
“… Anybody, I’ll fight anybody. Yeah [I like the Ferguson matchup], I think I beat up Tony. I really do. The Gaethje fight as well. I would do a rematch with him.”
Cutting weight won’t be a problem either as Poirier revealed he’s currently in the low 180s and can make the 155-pound limit.
As it stands, UFC 249 has no location but Dana White appears to be working on one as the days go by.
Do you think we’ll see Poirier compete at UFC 249? Against whom?
