"I'm gonna take it" - Dustin Poirier reveals he is in talks for a short-notice fight with Nate Diaz within the next 6 weeks
Dustin Poirier has confirmed he is in talks with the UFC to finalize a short-notice fight with Nate Diaz in six weeks' time.
Speaking on The Fight with Teddy Atlas, the No.2-ranked lightweight contender and No.8-ranked men's pound-for-pound fighter stressed that the contract has not yet been signed but he is excited about the matchup nonetheless.
"Another thing that kind of got that flame going is a couple of days ago I got a phone call. I can't talk about it yet. It's a very short-notice thing. Something I would hate to do is stack things against myself and take a fight at short notice. We will see what happens. I don't want to give too much because I do not know what I can say. No contract has been signed yet but if this does go through, I am going to take it... Like I need to go and run now, that's how short notice it is. It will be a barnburner... It is Nate Diaz and, just like he got on Twitter, I'm not gonna say what card or date."
Watch Dustin Poirier in conversation with Teddy Atlas and co-host Ken Rideout below:
Poirier holds a 28-7-1 record in his professional MMA career, while Diaz is 20-13. The duo are most likely to contest a welterweight bout if they sign on the dotted line.
Dustin Poirier has now lost two undisputed lightweight championship fights since September 2019
Dustin Poirier is one of the greatest lightweight fighters in UFC history. However, he has never won the undisputed championship in the division, having held the interim belt once.
His first title shot came against the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in September 2019. He lost the encounter via submission in the third round.
AND STILL
Khabib Nurmagomedov beats Dustin Poirier by submission in Round 3 to retain the UFC lightweight championship 🏆
28-0 #UFC242 https://t.co/0RH12ssfUg
A subsequent three-fight winning streak earned him another opportunity at claiming gold. He squared off against reigning titleholder Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 last month.
Once again, Poirier was submitted with a rear-naked choke. It could be a long way before he receives a third title shot, if he chooses to pursue one.