Khabib says Poirier ‘won temporary belt,’ looking to unify titles in September

“Poirier won a temporary belt. Temporary. I have a real one.” 

Dustin Poirier might be holding real UFC gold around his waist, but official champ Khabib Nurmagomedov says ‘The Diamond’s’ interim title reign will be short-lived.

Speaking to fans at a recent Q&A event in Russia, Nurmagomedov told Poirier his newly-acquired interim belt is temporary and revealed that he’s currently in negotiations for a lightweight title unification bout with the American Top Team product in September.

“Poirier won a temporary belt. Temporary,” Nurmagomedov said at M-1 Apeha, per BJPENN.com’s Drake Riggs. “I have a real one. The only thing that attracts me in this battle is the new belt. It’s pretty. And the rival is a very good one, we cannot underestimate him, he defeated many top fighters. In the UFC they say that I will fight Poirer in a little more than five months. It is difficult to negotiate with me, I am with my principles. I hope the negotiations will go well and in September we will fight.”

Poirier, who recently beat Max Holloway to win the interim 155-pound strap at UFC 236, also hinted at a title fight with Khabib in September.

The UFC hasn’t announced a date or venue for the bout, but head president Dana White confirmed in the aftermath of UFC 236 that Poirier would go on to challenge Nurmagomedov for the official title. The timing is perfect, as both men are in the primes of their careers and will surely put on a phenomenal show when they square off to unify the titles.

It’s also speculated that Tony Ferguson could be in negotiations for a fight with former two-division champ Conor McGregor. The winner will most likely go on to face the winner of Khabib vs. Poirier.