Dustin Poirier has questioned why, aside from the lucrative paycheck, he would consider fighting Conor McGregor again.
While 2021 may have ended in another failed bid for undisputed champion status, the rest of Poirier’s year represented redemption, success, business, and the last laugh. He achieved all of those through back-to-back fights against the sport’s biggest superstar, McGregor.
Having been finished by the Irishman way back in 2014, the first task for “The Diamond” was leveling the score. In the UFC 257 main event, he did exactly that by becoming the first man to knock McGregor out.
After turning down a shot at vacant gold in favor of another money fight with the former two-division champion, Poirier met McGregor again in the main event of UFC 264 last July. Towards the end of what was a dominant opening round for the Louisianan, McGregor suffered a gruesome broken leg, handing Poirier another triumph.
As far as six-month success goes, not much can top two pay-per-view main events, both of which sold in excess of 1.5 million buys and a pair of victories over the biggest name in the sport.
Poirier: “I Beat The Guy Two Times In A Row”
After the conclusion to their trilogy clash, a fourth fight seemed inevitable. Following the anticlimactic ending last July, Poirier and McGregor both shared a sentiment along the lines of “this isn’t over yet,” and UFC President Dana White suggested as much, too.
However, with Poirier’s second championship defeat and subsequent uncertain future, it seems there are a number of more preferable options for both men in 2022. For “The Diamond,” a welterweight bout with fellow veteran fan favorite Nate Diaz appears to be leading the charge.
During an interview with Robby Clark for InsideFighting, Poirier suggested the only factor that could draw him into a tetralogy with McGregor is the money. Beyond that, another date with the “Notorious” Irishman doesn’t intrigue him.
“I think, besides money, what would I be doing it for? I beat the guy two times in a row last year, you know; knocked him out, 10-8ed him in the first round of our last fight. It’s just like, we’ll see,” said Poirier. “We’re not currently talking about it with the UFC, but I’m sure it’s never out of the question. He wants to fight me. No doubt about it, he wants to get those wins back. We’ll see what happens when they call, but they haven’t said a word about it yet. I’m not sure if they have a plan for him.”
While Poirier potentially closes the lid on his time at lightweight and pursues “fun” fights, McGregor looks set to return this year with redemption on his mind.
With two of his potential comeback opponents, Diaz and Poirier, looking likely to face each other, another leading contender in Michael Chandler reportedly set to share the cage with Tony Ferguson, and Justin Gaethje booked for the next shot at Charles Oliveira’s gold, it remains to be seen who McGregor will be standing opposite from when he returns.
Would you like to see Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor share the Octagon for a fourth time?
