Dustin Poirier has spoken out for the first time since Colby Covington took to the mic in the immediate aftermath of his win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 to call for his next fight to be against ‘The Diamond’.
“It’s cute,” Poirier told ESPN backstage at UFC Vegas 50. “It’s all good. It is what it is. People want big fights. That’s a big fight. He wants big fights. Obviously he’s not in line for the title fight. He lost twice to the champ, so he probably needs a few more wins. But I would think if you want to get back to that strap you have to fight welterweight contenders. I don’t now what I’m doing, if I’m going to welterweight, if I’m staying at 155. We’ll see. But it is what it is.”
Poirier is yet to book a fight since suffering a third-round submission loss to Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title at UFC 269 in December. The Lafayette, Louisiana native has been angling for a fight with Nate Diaz ever since and insists that’s who he wants to face next.
“Nate Diaz is a fight I want,” Poirier said. “I’ve been watching him and his brother forever, so it’s exciting for me. It would be a fun matchup for the fans. That’s more likely than the Colby fight.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)
Dustin Poirier Not Interested In Colby Covington Fight
Poirier has previously said that he is not willing to fight Covington inside the UFC Octagon because he does not want to give his former teammate turned nemesis a payday.
“I’ll never fight Colby in an octagon where there’s finances on the line… If I fight Colby we’re both going to jail, I’m going to jail. I’m not going to fight him in the octagon, he’s not making money off my career, off what I’ve done. This is something different,” Poirier told The Mac Life ahead of UFC 271.
Who do you want to see Dustin Poirier fight next? Colby Covington or Nate Diaz?