Did Dustin Poirier Miss a Huge Opportunity?
Dustin Poirier was part of one of the most exciting lightweight fights in the history of UFC. He went up against the rising star of the division, Dan Hooker. And it was a violent fight.
Both Hooker and Poirier fought their hearts out for five rounds. Hooker proved his mettle in that fight and put the top lightweights on notice. However, it was Dustin Poirier who shined in the later rounds and secured the victory. That fight became one of the most talked-about fights in recent times.
Fans were expecting Dustin Poirier to call out his next opponent after an emphatic UFC return. However, Poirier stated that he would like to take some time off. Even though Poirier's statement makes sense this looks like a missed opportunity if you are Team Poirier.
Did Dustin Poirier miss a huge opportunity?
Dustin Poirier had an opportunity to call out Conor McGregor to a long-awaited rematch. Surprisingly, Poirier did not call him out.
Poirier calling out McGregor after the fight would have made perfect sense. The loss against McGregor is arguably the worst one in Poirier's MMA career. And he had the chance to avenge that loss.
Dustin Poirier has called out Conor McGregor before on multiple occasions. However, for some reason, Poirier did not call McGregor out when McGregor desperately needs an opponent to make his octagon return.
Dustin Poirier is a much different fighter than he was at Featherweight. He is not cutting too much weight, he is way sharper on his feet now, and he is battle-tested. And the same can be said for Conor McGregor. So it's a compelling fight in the Lightweight division.
Conor McGregor is guaranteed to fight the winner of Justin Gaethje vs Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight Title. However, there is a possibility that he will fight next year if he waits for the title shot. So it was a perfect window to have the rematch that the fans have been waiting for.
However, Dustin Poirier not calling out Conor McGregor does make some sense. Poirier has a win over Justin Gaethje. And if Gaethje wins the fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Poirier vs Gaethje for the UFC Lightweight Title seems very compelling. Meanwhile, McGregor may agree to fight Khabib to avenge his loss.
There are many exciting fights in the UFC Lightweight Division. We will just have to wait for the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje.