"They did call" - Dustin Poirier says Alexander Volkanovski was picked over him despite positive conversation for Islam Makhachev fight
Dustin Poirier has stated that he was called by the UFC to take on Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 next weekend.
'The Diamond' said that he accepted the fight. However, the promotion opted to book the rematch between Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski instead.
Makhachev and Volkanovski faced off at UFC 284 in February, where the lightweight champion won a competitive fight via unanimous decision.
Following their bout, 'The Great' shared his interest in doing the rematch in Abu Dhabi, and his wish has now been fulfilled after Charles Oliveira was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Dustin Poirier is a former UFC interim lightweight champion, who has competed for the undisputed title on two occasions.
Despite having suffered a KO defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 in July, 'The Diamond' was eager for another chance to fight for the lightweight title and said he accepted a short-notice clash with Makhachev.
'The Diamond' was asked by a fan on X if he could have made 155 pounds next weekend if the promotion had asked him. Dustin Poirier replied:
"Yes, they did call and I did say yes"
See the post below:
Dan Hooker credits his brutal loss to Dustin Poirier as a big reason for his career turnaround
Dan Hooker and Dustin Poirier faced off in one of the most brutal fights in the main event of UFC Vegas 4 in July 2020.
Poirier was crowned the winner via unanimous decision and proved that he was still capable of beating the best contenders in the UFC.
Dan Hooker went 1-3 in the four fights after his loss to Dustin Poirier, though some of those losses came against elite talent like Islam Makhachev and Michael Chandler.
However, 'The Hangman' has bounced back from the tough run with consecutive victories over highly touted prospects in Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner.
Hooker recently credited his fight with 'The Diamond' as a big reason that he has been able to turn his career around. During a recent interview with Combat TV, he said:
"I hit [Poirier] with the kitchen sink, and he just cruises through... The things I learned in that fight have helped me win my last two fights... With [Puelles], I kept quiet but he fractured my knee, he wrecked my knee. But same thing, I wasn't concerned."
He added:
"Same thing when I'm fighting Turner. He's teeing off on me, and hitting me, rocking me and kicking me in the head, and I was staying cool. And I looked at him and I was like, he's panicking!"
Watch the video below from 14:05: