Despite his recent efforts to bait former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez into a rematch, 155-pound contender Dustin Poirier doesn’t seem to be making much progress.
Still, “Diamond” is dead set on scoring another chance to overthrow “Underground King” after their initial Octagon meeting back at UFC 211 ended in a no contest following illegal knees by Alvarez. Poirier remains adamant that a matchup with Alvarez is the most logical option for both fighters right now in the UFC’s crowded lightweight division.
“It’s the only fight that makes sense right now,” Poirier said in a recent interview with FloCombat. “There are two guys ranked above me right now, but both of them are coming off losses in their most recent fights. I feel like I’m close to the top, but there is a lot going on right now in my division. If they strip Conor [McGregor] of the title and Tony [Ferguson] and Khabib [Nurmagomedov] fight for the actual title, there is no one else for me to fight but Eddie Alvarez. All roads lead back to that fight. I knew it was going to happen like this, and I think Eddie and I should fight to see who gets the next shot at the title.”
There really aren’t many options for both Poirier and Alvarez moving forward. UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor is on a current hiatus, top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov is likely to fight interim champion Tony Ferguson after destroying Edson Barboza at UFC 219, former champion Anthony Pettis just lost to Poirier, Justin Gaethje was just knocked out by Alvarez in a Fight of the Year candidate, Kevin Lee was just submitted by Ferguson, Michael Chiesa was just submitted by Lee, Nate Diaz is essentially holding out for a trilogy bout with “Notorious,” and Michael Johnson recently moved down to 145 pounds.
That said, Poirier can only lobby for so long. And if he isn’t able to land a rematch with Alvarez, “Diamond” is willing to sit on the sidelines until the right offer comes along.
“I can’t be like that crazy ex-girlfriend that follows you around everywhere and hopes you are going to fall back in love with them,” Poirier explained. “I have to keep it moving and life goes on. I can’t make the guy fight me, and neither can the UFC it appears. I heard last week [the UFC] offered Alvarez the fight three separate times and he and his team declined all three. I think it’s kind of funny the ‘Underground King’ or the ‘King of Violence’ whatever that sh-t he’s saying. Turns out he’s actually the f-cking track team captain. We’ll see what happens though. If the UFC calls me with a fight that makes sense then we’ll do it. If the fight is a good opportunity for me and can move me toward the ultimate goal then I’m in. If not, then I’ll wait for the right fight to come along.”
Considering Poirier has amassed a 6-1, 1 NC record since moving up from featherweight back in 2015, he’s going to be a major player in the lightweight division this year and next. But in order to make a move towards title contention Poirier will need the opportunity to defeat quality opponents like Alvarez.
Maybe this guy will finally move up in weight and give Poirier another crack at a former UFC champion.