At UFC on Fox 29 in Glendale, Dustin Poirier was involved in another classic and fight of the year contender. Poirier went toe-to-toe with Justin Gaethje for three rounds straight before knocking out Gaethje early in the fourth round, making a statement to the rest of the lightweight division.
Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier wasted no time in letting his intentions known, he wants a shot at the newly crowned UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“The Diamond” has been a part of the UFC roster for over 7 years and he believes that it is finally his chance to secure a title shot. After his victory in Glendale, Poirier spoke during the FS2 post-fight show about his MMA journey, and the “resilience and fortitude” that he has had to show throughout his career.
“I’ve paid my dues,” Poirier said. “I’ve put nothing but hard work in. I’ve been close to the mountaintop and I’ve been knocked down. I’ve shown resilience and fortitude and I’ve done it over and over again to put myself back in the position I’m in, and I’m hitting my stride as a father, a fighter, a husband and a person. I’m ready to go, and gold is next. I smell it. I feel it in the air.”
It’s hard to argue with Poirier’s title fight claims. Tony Ferguson has recently had surgery on his knee for his LCL injury and Conor McGregor is now dealing with legal action regarding his outburst at the UFC 223 media day. Eddie Alvarez is perhaps the only other lightweight that has a title claim, but he may need to get past Poirier first. Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier met at UFC 211 back in May, but the bout ended as a no contest and was filled with controversy. Eddie Alvarez landed numerous illegal knees to Poirier’s head whilst he was classed as a downed opponent.
UFC President Dana White agrees that Dustin Poirier is a serious option for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s next opponent.
“Absolutely (he’s a title contender),” White said. “He’s definitely in there. He was one of the guys we were thinking about calling last to take the fight (at UFC 223), but we didn’t want to screw up this event. Thank God we didn’t.”
Do you think that Dustin Poirier deserves a shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov?
