"Maybe he doesn't have the confidence" - John McCarthy believes Dustin Poirier has other reasons to turn down Colby Covington than money

John McCarthy (left), Dustin Poirier (center), Colby Covington (right)

'Big' John McCarthy believes there may be other reasons as to why Dustin Poirier has reportedly turned down a fight with Colby Covington at 170lbs.

The former interim lightweight champion has recently been vocal about his desire to fight Covington. 'Chaos' had called 'The Diamond' out after defeating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272.

McCarthy and co-host Josh Thompson recently discussed a fight between Dustin Poirier and either Nate Diaz or Colby Covington on the Weighing In podcast. The former UFC referee suggested it is possible that 'The Diamond' doesn't have the confidence to beat Covington:

"If they've offered [the Nate Diaz fight] twice to him, it means that Nate didn't want it maybe? I don't know if he accepted it. The one thing I will say is this - when he's sitting there saying he doesn't want Colby making money off him, that's not the way to look at it. You're making money off of Colby... They've been in the gym together, they know where they're strong and where they're weak against each other. Maybe he doesn't have the confidence going against Colby."

McCarthy's comments come in light of Poirier's recent appearance on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour. The Louisiana native revealed that he had been offered a fight against Covington for July. 'The Diamond' shared that he hadn't yet accepted the fight because he didn't want 'Chaos' making money off of him:

"I don't want to fight the guy. I don't want him profiting anything off of me. But if they're not gonna give me a fight until the end of the year and this is what they're giving me, then maybe I've gotta do what I've gotta do."

.@DustinPoirier tells @arielhelwani he was offered a fight against Colby Covington last week 😳 #TheMMAHour

“I don’t hate anyone, but if there was a line right before hate, Colby's standing there."

▶️ youtu.be/7iVCIuk2aVE https://t.co/Q8Ludn7lzR

Watch John McCarthy and Josh Thomson discuss Dustin Poirier versus Colby Covington here:

Dustin Poirier could fight Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, says Josh Thomson

In the same podcast, the co-hosts discussed the potential match-up between Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz. Josh Thomson admitted he'd also be interested in seeing Poirier make the move up to welterweight and face fan-favorite Stephen Thompson:

"The fight I'd like to see is [Poirier] and Nate. But there's also something else I'm gonna throw out there. Stephen Thompson. Thompson said, 'Hey, I'll be your huckleberry.' He said, 'I'm down to fight at 170, lets do it.' I'm down to watch that fight too. I like Stephen Thompson. I think Dustin's a great kid man. I'd love to see that fight."

This comes after 'Wonderboy' issued a friendly challenge to 'The Diamond'. Both men are coming off losses in 2021.

Hey @DustinPoirier I’m down to scrap! July 30th let’s go! #respectfully

@WonderboyMMA Respect

Poirier's loss to Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title in 2021 was the second time he had failed to capture the belt. It is understandable that the fighter is now seeking other avenues in the sport, with a move to welterweight seemingly inevitable.