Why Dustin Poirier shouldn't fight Conor McGregor
After leaking Dana White's chats on his social media, Conor McGregor offered Dustin Poirier a charity exhibition bout. Fans and critics were sceptical about the matchup, as the duo would require prior permission from the UFC. Also, considering McGregor's star power, this bout had very little chance of materializing.
Unsurprisingly, the UFC came up with the most obvious solution. Instead of letting two of their biggest stars collide outside the UFC, the company offered the fight to Conor McGregor.
Fighting Conor McGregor is equivalent to a huge payday. Dustin Poirier will have the opportunity to exact his revenge, make a ton of money, and get a $500,000 paycheck for his charity. Sounds enticing, right? Well, not when you think about Poirier's current position in the division.
Dustin Poirier could jeopardize a title shot by fighting Conor McGregor
Dustin Poirier is ranked No. 2 in the Lightweight division, whereas Conor is ranked No. 5. "The Diamond" is close to a second title shot, and anyone that beats him will make a strong case for a match with the winner of UFC 254's main event. Should Conor beat Poirier in the rematch, he will most likely take his spot as the top contender.
Now that is good for the UFC but not for Poirier, who scratched and clawed his way to the top. He would have to go back to the drawing board and win a couple of fights before even mentioning the title.
Conor McGregor's original offer stated that he wanted both men to fight at Catchweight. Knowing that Dana White does not like open weight fights, this bout will probably happen at Welterweight. That makes it even more dangerous for Poirier, who has never fought at that weight class before.
To make things worse, Poirier is stylistically an easy matchup for Conor McGregor, and the fastest road to a title shot. "The Notorious" has already laid the blueprint to defeat Poirier at UFC 178. Since Poirier is a southpaw, it would also prime McGregor for his potential boxing showdown against Manny Pacquiao.
The money from the second fight can put Poirier in a much better place financially, but it comes with a huge risk. It's a risk that Poirier might not want to take, as he is close to another title shot. So, what can Poirier do besides fighting Conor McGregor?
Tony Ferguson is a safer bet for Dustin. Ferguson's last fight with Justin Gaethje exposed a lot of holes in the "Boogeyman's" game, and Poirier can use these to win that match and cement himself as the No. 1 contender.