Dustin Poirier is not looking to play anything fast in his fighting career after scoring a victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 257.
Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) rescued one of the most notable losses of his career in his rematch against McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) earlier this month. He scored a TKO in the second round of the former two-division champion at “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, and now the future looks very bright for him.
After the fight, Poirier has been the center of attention at lightweight. McGregor’s team expressed interest in a rematch, Nate Diaz said he wants to reschedule his streaked UFC 230 fight in November 2018. Michael Chandler presented the idea of a vacant lightweight title fight, as did Charles Oliveira. And Tony Ferguson also wants a piece of “Diamond”.
Poirier said he likes that everyone is coming for him, and he is well aware that currently The man at 155 pounds.
“I have a target on my back,” Poirier told MMA Junkie on Sunday. “(I’m a former interim world champion), I just knocked out Conor McGregor, and now I’m No. 1 and the only person above me, (Khabib Nurmagomedov), can never fight again. People want to climb this ladder and, for that, you have to beat the guys at the top. You have to beat the next guys in line, so I understand why the target is behind my back and I wear it proudly.
“I am the crown champion of the lightweight division. If Khabib leaves, I’m the best in the division. Former interim world champion, former title challenger. I just eliminated a former two-division world champion. I am the champion I know that. “
The only thing that differentiates Poirier’s words from the reality of the situation is that he does not hold the UFC lightweight title. That still belongs to Nurmagomedov, who apparently closed the door to returning to the octagon after retiring from MMA after defending the title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October.
UFC President Dana White said after the fight at UFC 257 that he likes the idea of a vacant title dispute between Poirier and Chandler, a former Bellator champion who made a memorable debut the same night against Dan Hooker before Poirier stop McGregor. Poirier gave up immediately after the fight, citing his opinion that Chandler did not do enough under the UFC banner to guarantee the opportunity.
Poirier thinks that Oliveira, who comes in a sequence of eight consecutive victories in the category, is another story. But if the UFC doesn’t want to move forward with more sensible options, Poirier said he will get out of the equation.
“I want to be the world champion, and Charles is a guy who paid off his debts,” said Poirier. “He definitely deserves where he is. Let him and Chandler fight over the belt. If they want Chandler for the title, and he’s asking for the title. Let them fight for the belt. I’m going to step back and just watch. “
The possibility of a trilogy fight with McGregor is something that Poirier also does not rule out, he said. The advantages of this struggle are obvious, from exposure to financial gain. Although his team came out in favor of a third fight, McGregor said nothing but his immediate comments after the fight, when he said it was interesting.
What Poirier knows, however, is that he was not contacted directly about anything. And until then, nothing is real.
“It’s hard to call,” said Poirier. “I don’t know what they’re saying behind closed doors. And I still haven’t been contacted by the UFC or Conor’s management about the fight in the trilogy. So, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I was not contacted by the UFC about anything. “
So, until the UFC brings Poirier a confrontation that he considers valuable for his time and energy, he is not jumping to force something definitive. All that is on his mind now is the immediate plan to take his wife, Jolie, and daughter, Parker, on vacation.
“The future is bright, for sure,” said Poirier. “I didn’t even think about it much. Maybe I’ll take a snow trip with my wife and daughter in a few weeks. This is what comes next. “