Former interim UFC lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier, has his sights set on a matchup with fellow perennial fan favorite Nate Diaz sometime this summer.
Poirier spoke with reporters during a backstage media scrum at UFC 271 over the weekend and revealed his desire to fight Diaz in a welterweight bout, while also explaining the respect he has for the 36-year old Stockton, California native's fighting style. The pair was originally scheduled to clash at UFC 230 back in November 2018, but the fight was canceled after Poirier was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a hip injury.
“I think there’s a good chance it’s going to happen,” Poirier said (h/t MMA Fighting). “I think summer is probably a good target if I were to put one on a calendar, but I’m not sure, but I have a good feeling that it’s going to happen. I’m not sure if I’m going to stay at 170 pounds, but this fight makes sense. I just want to be in fights that mean something to me. Nate’s a guy I grew up watching fight, I respect him and his brother, I think that stylistically it’s going to be fun for the fans. This is a Fight of the Year type of fight, and those are the kind of fights I want to be part of. It’s a combination of everything, but it’s also history. I was living at my mother’s house watching this guy fight on The Ultimate Fighter. These are the kinds of fights that mean something to me, and like I said, he’s a pioneer of the sport. Him and his brother have been around forever. When his brother was fighting in PRIDE, I was a fan. This is way before it was even cool before it was a mainstream sport. Nate’s a fighter’s fighter and I love what he brings, the intensity, the fight he brings, and I think with my style, it’s going to be an incredible fight.”
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