Dustin Poirier becomes immediate title contender at 170lbs if he beats Colby Covington, according to Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier believes Dustin Poirier can immediately become relevant in the welterweight title picture with a win over Colby Covington. Judging by Poirier's frame, 'DC' opined that 'The Diamond' would find huge success at 170lbs.
Cormier also believes it would be best for Poirier to fight Covington at UFC 277 in July since welterweight king Kamaru Usman is likely to make his next title defense in August. The 43-year-old recently said on the DC&RC Show:
"If he does decide to stay up at welterweight, I think he would be very successful. And if you're gonna do that, if you're gonna make your introduction to a weight class and be a contender immediately, you go and beat a guy like Colby Covington... But yes, Dustin Poirier gets it done, [if] he can beat Colby Covington in his first fight at welterweight, he immediately becomes a challenger or a contender at a 170 pounds."
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In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Dustin Poirier revealed that he has accepted a fight against Colby Covington. While Poirier has a loathing for Covington, he was apparently given a choice between fighting 'Chaos' or staying out of action until the end of the year.
Daniel Cormier believes performances will decide if Dustin Poirier or Khamzat Chimaev gets next title shot at welterweight
The welterweight title picture could potentially become somewhat complicated if Dustin Poirier goes up to fight Colby Covington. A two-time title challenger at lightweight, 'The Diamond' will be eyeing a title shot with a win over Covington.
On the other hand, Chechen-born Swede contender Khamzat Chimaev has been rallying for a welterweight title shot with five consecutive bonus-winning victories. In his most recent outing, Chimaev earned a gritty unanimous decision win against Gilbert Burns in a battle for the ages.
According to Daniel Cormier, Poirier's performance against Covington will be compared to Chimaev's latest win while determining the next welterweight title challenger. The former UFC double champ further said:
"With Khamzat man, like after beating Gilbert Burns, he made a statement RC. So does Dustin's statement outweigh the statement that Khamzat just made. That's the thing that you're gonna have to weigh against each other as you go into who fights Kamaru Usman after Leon Edwards."