Dustin Poirier fighting Nate Diaz next makes the most sense, according to Jon Anik
Dustin Poirier recently suffered his third loss in a championship bout when Islam Makhachev submitted him at UFC 302. 'The Diamond' had indicated that the clash could be his final fight, but following his defeat, he did not confirm his retirement.
The former interim lightweight champion maintained that his career may be over but insisted that he needed to take time away from the sport to decide his next step.
As the weeks roll on, it becomes more likely that Louisiana native will fight at least one more time. However, having suffered a partially-torn ACL and broken nose and ribs against Makhachev, Poirier will be on the sidelines for potentially the rest of 2024.
Should he return to the octagon, Jon Anik has suggested he face Nate Diaz. The pair were previously scheduled to clash in 2018 before a hip injury forced 'The Diamond' out of the bout. During the latest episodes of The Anik & Florian Podcast, the UFC commentator said:
"He's still sharp as a f***ing tack. He's got his brain, and he did just get knocked out by Justin Gaethje last summer. He did just break his face against Islam Makhachev, you've got your brain. I just don't know what fight it is. That's why I think the Nate Diaz fight is the only fight to me, of all the ones I've heard, that would pique Dustin's interests enough."
Watch Jon Anik discuss Dustin Poirier's next opponent below (17:05):
Dustin Poirier's coach takes aim at Arman Tsarukyan after criticizing 'The Diamond'
Dustin Poirier was submitted by Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 302. It appears that No.1-ranked lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan is set to face Makhachev next. Ahead of their potential clash, Tsarukyan shared some criticism of Poirier's performance against the champion.
He claimed that 'The Diamond' was mentally broken in the latter stages of the fight, saying this:
"I saw that [Poirier] turned it on, and Islam got tired and the fight became more interesting... As we know, Islam doesn't breathe that well in five-round fights... I wonder where Islam found the strength to choke. But I have a feeling that Poirier just gave up, in terms of being mentally broken."
The former interim champion's longtime boxing coach, Dyah Davis, fired back at Tsarukyan, writing this:
"This guy, fake love and respect in the gym but the moment he has an opportunity to take a shot he goes for it..."
See Dustin Poirier's coach take aim at Tsarukyan below: