Former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has seemingly announced plans to make a move to the welterweight limit for the first time in his professional career in his return to the Octagon – after suffering a thunderous knockout loss just weeks ago at UFC 291.
Poirier, the current number three ranked lightweight contender, headlined the aforenoted pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City, Utah – competing for symbolic BMF championship spoils in a title-eliminator rematch with fellow former interim champion, Justin Gaethje.
And despite a bright start from the Lafayette native in the opening round, American Top Team staple, Poirier suffered a devastating second round high-kick knockout loss to Gaethje at the Delta Center – dropping his first stoppage loss via strikes since a 2016 defeat to Michael Johnson.
Weighing-up his fighting future in the wake of his stunning knockout loss, Poirier claimed he still believed he was “better than” Gaethje despite his loss, as well as welcoming the prospect of a long-awaited grudge match against promotional alum, Nate Diaz – if the Stockton native makes an Octagon return off the back of his decision loss to Jake Paul this weekend in Texas.
Dustin Poirier appears to confirm welterweight division leap
This morning, however, Poirier appears to be willing to play in to a long-rumored divisional leap for the second time in his UFC tenure – amid long calls for the Lousiana native to make a climb to the welterweight limit.
“Ok, I’ll move up,” Dustin Poirier posted on his official X account.
Appearing to catch the attention of undefeated Kazakh welterweight contender, Shavkat Rakhmonov off the back of his tweet, the surging knockout ace and submission specialist – who recently saw a planned UFC Noche co-headliner with former interim middleweight title chaser, Kelvin Gastelum, fall to the wayside, after the San Jose native suffered a nose injury during his training camp.