Dustin Poirier says taking the fight with Nate Diaz is a gamble worth taking.
Poirier is set to take on Diaz at UFC 230 on Nov. 3. The two will clash inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The lightweight tilt is currently penciled in as UFC 230’s co-main event.
Speaking to Team Everlast, “The Diamond” explained why taking the Diaz bout was the right move:
“You know, I do (think it’s a gamble worth taking). Every fight is a gamble; you never know what’s going to happen. But I’m not the kind of guy to sit around and wait, you know? Even if I would have done that, there’s no telling when the winner of Conor-Khabib would be ready to defend the belt again. And even if they did make a quick turnaround, if Tony Ferguson beats Anthony Pettis, he was the interim champ so I believe he’s probably ahead of me. I’m not just going to sit around and wait a year for a title shot. I enjoy fighting and I enjoy training. I still enjoy it, so I don’t want to sit around for a year. I like to be in training camp, pushing myself, learning, getting better and this kind of fight right here is a fight that made a lot of sense to me. It’s a fun fight, a guy that I’ve been watching for a long time, a guy that I’m a fan of- him and his brother- and it’s a legacy fight for me.”
Poirier is coming off a TKO victory over former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in their rematch back in July. Poirier has gone 4-0, 1 NC in his last five outings. He has surged up to the third spot on the official UFC lightweight rankings. In that span, he defeated Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, and Alvarez.
Do you think Dustin Poirier’s risk will pay off?
