Islam Makhachev: Dustin Poirier Knows He Will Never Be Champ, Just Wants Money
Islam Makhachev believes Dustin Poirier has finally accepted that he will never become a UFC champion and is now intent on making as much money as he can from the remaining years of his MMA career.
‘The Diamond’ has held interim gold at lightweight but failed has twice failed to become the undisputed champion at 155lbs.
Poirier suffered a third-round submission loss when he first challenge for the UFC lightweight title against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In December 2021, Poirier got another crack at the strap, this time in a match-up he was favoured to win. Unfortunately for the Lafayette, Louisiana native he once again suffered a third-round submission loss, this time to Charles Oliveira.
Since then, Poirier has been angling for a fight with Nate Diaz which would take place at welterweight. This is somewhat of a surprise considering he is still very much a player at 155lbs and is perhaps just one or two wins away from another title shot.
During a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Poirier’s lightweight rival Makhachev expressed his belief that Poirier has come to a tough realisation since UFC 269 and now views MMA as a money-maker rather than a chance to secure his legacy.
“I think he (Poirier) just wants to make money,” Makhachev said. “He knows he’s not going to be champion no more. That’s why he’s thinking about money now. He just wants to choose the weight he can make more money; this is my opinion.”
Unlike Poirier, Makhachev has his eyes firmly set on becoming a champion.
The Dagestani fighter will face Beneil Dariush on February 26 in what seems to be a fight for the number one contender spot at lightweight. Whoever wins will likely face the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje which goes down at UFC 274 in May.
