Dustin Poirier doesn’t have all the answers, but he’s just happy to get a shot at the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title.
Late in the week, UFC president Dana White revealed to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that there would be an interim lightweight title bout. UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will go one-on-one with Poirier on April 13 at UFC 236. White also revealed that Tony Ferguson turned down the bout.
Dustin Poirier Discusses Getting His Title Opportunity
Many have wondered about the state of the lightweight division following champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s suspension. Poirier told MMAJunkie.com that initially, he was just a replacement:
“Originally they wanted Max and Tony, and then they called me. They didn’t really have a whole lot of plans, then at the last minute they tried to put together Max vs. Tony. Then they called and said, ‘If for some reason Max falls out or doesn’t take it, you’re going to fight Tony for the interim. If for some reason Tony doesn’t make it, then you’re going to fight Max for the interim.’ Tony apparently didn’t think it was the right fight at the right time, or he had something going on. I don’t know his exact story. I’m trying to figure out why he couldn’t make the date, but honestly I don’t care. I hope everything is good for him and his family and hope he’s healthy, but this is my opportunity.”
Ferguson spoke out after turning down the fight, saying he could make the 145-pound division. This has led many to believe that “El Cucuy” simply doesn’t want to go down that interim title road again. Ferguson won the interim lightweight title back in Oct. 2017, but was stripped of the gold when he injured himself tripping over a wire.
Do you think the UFC made the right call booking Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway for the interim UFC lightweight title?
