"I don't know if it's the smartest move" - Michael Bisping shares reservations for potential Colby Covington vs. Dustin Poirier matchup
Michael Bisping has weighed in on a potential fight between Colby Covington and Dustin Poirier. Taking to his YouTube channel, Bisping suggested that fighting Covington in a welterweight (170-pound) bout might not be the smartest move for Poirier.
Bisping referenced Poirier’s recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, wherein Poirier indicated that the UFC offered him a fight against former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington for UFC 277 on July 30th. The former interim UFC lightweight (155-pound) champion noted that he hadn’t officially accepted or turned down the Covington fight yet.
Nevertheless, Poirier asserted that the other option given to him was a number-one contender’s bout at lightweight at the end of the year. Poirier added that while he doesn’t want his former teammate-turned-foe Covington financially benefitting from fighting him inside the octagon, he’d rather fight ‘Chaos’ than sit on the sidelines till the end of the year. Bisping agreed with Poirier’s reasoning but stated:
“Going up a weight division, going up against Colby Covington, if he loses that, that could have real implications on him [Poirier] getting a title fight again.”
Colby Covington calls out Dustin Poirier after his victory 🗣️
@espnmma | #UFC272 https://t.co/VgcEqKhrmf
‘The Count’ opined that a loss to ‘Chaos’ at welterweight could adversely affect Dustin Poirier’s chances of getting a lightweight title shot. Bisping said:
“So, he wants to be active. He wants to keep earning. He wants to keep fighting, wants to keep making money and setting himself up for the future, which I get. But going up to 170, putting on 15 pounds – well, I say putting on 15 pounds. Not cutting that 15 pounds, but sure enough, fighting at a weight class 15 pounds heavier against one of the top contenders. Whilst me, as a fan, I would love to see that, but I don’t know if it’s the smartest move.”
Watch Michael Bisping address a possible Colby Covington vs. Dustin Poirier matchup in the video below:
Dustin Poirier on a potential quadrilogy fight against Conor McGregor
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Dustin Poirier not only discussed the possibility of fighting Colby Covington, but also touched upon whether he’d face Conor McGregor for the fourth time. Moreover, Poirier expressed his willingness to fight lightweight mainstays such as Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, and Tony Ferguson next.
Furthermore, 'The Diamond' is 2-1 in his series of fights against McGregor. On that note, when asked if he could fight McGregor when the Irishman returns from his injury hiatus later this year, Poirier said:
“That’s tough to say. You never know... I’ll fight him at ’55 or ’70, though, if he does come back and want to fight. Yeah, he’s in it too.”
Watch Poirier's interview on The MMA Hour in the video below: