Dustin Poirier has made a bold prediction in a potential outing with Nate Diaz.
Reeling off a loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 last December, Dustin Poirier has remained out of action since the title defeat. He’s expressed interest in returning to the cage at the earliest but has been unable to secure a suitable opponent. While there were talks of a possible showdown against rival Colby Covington based on Poirier’s intent to move up to 170-lbs, nothing official came out of it.
Dustin Poirier predicts a finish against Nate Diaz
One man who seemed likely to face off against ‘The Diamond’ was Nate Diaz, who indicated his willingness to compete against the 33-year-old Louisiana native.
Dustin Poirier responded to a fan who believed Diaz would finish him in under three rounds with a bold prediction of his own regarding the potential matchup.
Prior to this, Diaz and Poirier were in agreement on Twitter to make the fight happen but all talks were brought to a halt after UFC’s interest in the event died down.
What’s next for Poirier & Diaz?
Poirier’s stardom skyrocketed last year after two victories over Conor McGregor, the biggest draw in the sport. Nate Diaz is also a former adversary of the Irish superstar and is considered to be a ‘needle mover’ in the industry. As such, it confused many as to why the UFC would not want to make a fight between two of their most popular athletes happen.
There has been speculation that the promotion is keeping Diaz for McGregor’s return to the octagon. ‘The Notorious’ was sidelined from a horrific leg injury he suffered in his most recent outing against Poirier at UFC 264.
McGregor has been swift in recovery from the broken fibula and looks closer than ever to making his comeback. A fourth bout with Poirier could be on the cards as well as a third big money fight with Diaz. He has also called for a shot at the UFC Welterweight king Kamaru Usman but the promotion is yet to make official announcements for the three men’s next fights.