Dustin Poirier Done With Lightweight, Eyes Nate Diaz at 170
Dustin Poirier is still one of the best lightweights in the world following UFC 269, but he’s eyeing a new challenge in his professional career.
Poirier fell to Charles Oliveira in his second attempt at the lightweight title via a third-round submission, despite finding success early in the first round. He nearly finished the fight on the feet, but Oliveira was able to survive the early barrage and work in his grappling.
Poirier is in a bit of an odd spot in the lightweight division, and he’s unsure he’s willing to cut lightweight at this stage of his career. During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Poirier hinted at a change in weight for his next fight.
“I don’t know if I’m going to fight at 155 pounds again,” Poirier said. “I felt smooth, I felt great but that’s because I did all the things I was supposed to. I don’t know if I want to go through that training camp again. Being hungry in the gym, etc. I don’t know what’s going to happen. “
Poirier and Nate Diaz were supposed to fight earlier in their careers, but the fight fell through just weeks away from the bout. Poirier thinks now may be the time to think about pulling the trigger on that matchup once again.
“When I’ve been laying down and thinking about fights, nothing gets me excited right now,” Poirier said. “Unless Nate Diaz wants to fight, if he wants to fight that gets me excited. That would be great, I don’t know what plans they have with the UFC with negotiations, I’m healthy and we’ll see what happens. I just want to be excited to fight again.”
Dustin Poirier Vs. Nate Diaz At Welterweight Could Make Sense For Both Sides
Diaz is coming off of a loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 263 and remains without an opponent for his return to the octagon. He recently extended his deal with the promotion for more fights, but financial negotiations could make for an interesting 2022.
While it’s unclear when Poirier will return to the octagon, a fight with Diaz would certainly bring many eyes to the fight and allow both men a chance to return to the win column.
What would you think of a Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz fight at welterweight?
