Dustin Poirier has attempted to explain his surprising call out of Nate Diaz in the aftermath of his win over Conor McGregor at UFC 257.
‘The Diamond’ previously lost to McGregor at UFC 178, six years ago. ‘Notorious’ clipped Poirier early before swarming for the finish.
Poirier avenged that loss in style on January 23. The 32-year-old used wrestling early before chopping at his opponents legs with calf kicks. The Irishman was seriously impacted by those shots and was wide open to the fast hands of Poirier who put a flurry of punches together and ended the fight in round two.
In the post-fight press conference Poirier named Diaz as someone who he could potentially fight next. To the surprise of many who believe ‘The Diamond’ should be competing for UFC gold in his next bout.
“It is exciting, it is fun. Those are the kind of fights I want to be part of. Fights that are exciting to me and that I’m motivated to get up and bust my ass every day,” Dustin Poirier told ESPN. “That is exciting. That is a guy I grew up watching, a guy who is still a very big name, that’s it.
“I think the fans would be in for a great fight if that one happens,” Poirier added. “Does it make sense in the lightweight division? No. Does it make sense where I am at, standing in the door front of a title shot? No. But, it is a fun fight and this is entertainment and this is fighting.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)
Poirier and Diaz of were initially set to collide at UFC 230 back in November 2018. However, it never came to fruition after the Poirier had to pull out due to injury.
Do you want to see Dustin Poirier fight Nate Diaz next?
Dustin Poirier feels his win over Max Holloway was bigger than his win over Conor McGregor. Poirier earned arguably the biggest win of his career after he knocked out McGregor in the second round of their UFC 257 headliner earlier this month. But despite being the first to knock the Irishman out in what was […]