Bisping: Poirier pursuing Diaz fight to ‘eradicate those demons’

Michael Bisping speaks to reporters during the UFC Gym press conference in Glaziers Hall in London, England on March 15, 2018. | Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Michael Bisping explains why D…


UFC Gym Press Conference
Michael Bisping speaks to reporters during the UFC Gym press conference in Glaziers Hall in London, England on March 15, 2018. | Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Michael Bisping explains why Dustin Poirier is pursuing a fight against Nate Diaz.

Dustin Poirier is pursuing a fight against Nate Diaz to ‘eradicate those demons’ from his submission loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269, according to former UFC middleweight champion turned commentator, analyst, and podcast host Michael Bisping.

“For Dustin Poirier, going up against Nate Diaz, I think for him that’s just him trying to eradicate those demons – Trying to get that bad taste out of his mouth from just losing the world title fight,” Bisping said in a recent YouTube video (h/t Sportskeeda). “We all know that Dustin Poirier, the desire to be champion is something that burns very brightly. He lost to Charles Oliveira. So, therefore, now he thinks, ‘If I go in there and I beat Nate Diaz, I’m back in the win column.’”

“Because I spoke to Dustin for BT Sport prior to his fight [against Oliveira]. And he said if he won, he was gonna slow down his schedule of fighting,” Bisping continued. “Because you can’t do three, four fights a year forever. It does take a massive toll on your body. But he never became the champion. And now, in his mind, he’s probably a little bit depressed just like I was when I fought Kelvin [Gastelum]; when I lost to Georges St-Pierre.”

Poirier has a history with Diaz dating back to 2018 when both men were scheduled to collide in a lightweight bout at UFC 230. ‘The Diamond’ pulled out of the matchup due to injury, however, but both men remain bitter rivals four years on.

The two have been going back-and-forth on social media recently but, despite their best efforts to promote the fight, Diaz says the UFC isn’t interested in booking the matchup because Poirier sucks.

Poirier, 32, last fought at UFC 269 where he suffered a stoppage loss to Oliveira in a failed bid to capture the lightweight title. The fan-favorite is currently #8 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.