Dustin Poirier Wants Title Shot, Responds to Possible Fight Against Tony Ferguson Next
In a perfect world, Dustin Poirier would have earned a title shot following his second round TKO win against former champion Eddie Alvarez but he knows that may not happen.
Poirier has now stacked together three straight finishes against former champions in Alvarez, Anthony Pettis and Justin Gaethje and that would normally be more than enough to get a shot at gold.
Unfortunately the lightweight title is tied up in anticipation of a showdown between current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former two-division king Conor McGregor, who is expected to return later this year.
There’s also former interim champion Tony Ferguson, who has been out of action since April due to knee surgery.
That all adds up to some very muddy water atop the UFC’s lightweight division, which is why it’s so far for Poirier to predict what will come next for him. There’s the chance that the UFC might ask him to stay ready as an alternate for the Nurmagomedov-McGregor fight or he could just sit on the sidelines and wait.
“I’m not 100-percent sure,” Poirier said about what’s next. “We’ve got to see the timeframe. This is a crazy, crazy sport. It might be two completely different guys fighting for that title in October. You never know. This last year has been insane. But hopefully that fight comes together. I don’t plan on taking long. I’m not taking a year off. I’m hitting my stride right now, I’m in my prime. I’m feeling the best I’ve ever felt. I want to keep growing on this.
“I do want a title shot, I feel like I’ve earned it. I’m next. I’ve paid my dues year after year in this gritty game. We’ll see. I don’t know the timeframe.”
With Nurmagomedov facing McGregor next, Poirier was also posed with the question of a potential matchup against Ferguson after UFC president Dana White said he hoped to have the former interim champion on the same card as the title fight.
Poirier didn’t seem opposed to the idea if the circumstances were right.
“It’s too soon to tell. If Dana [White] calls me and we make a deal for the fight, maybe,” Poirier said about fighting Ferguson. “I don’t know. I’m the best in the world. I can beat all these guys.”
The only thing Poirier can guarantee for now is that he’s going to spend some much needed time with his family while returning home to Louisiana now that this fight is finished.
As far as staying ready in case the UFC calls, Poirier seems to think anything is possible, although he’d much prefer a scheduled title fight rather than one that came on short notice.
“I don’t plan on getting crazy out of shape or anything like that. I’m going to get back to the gym, work on some stuff. I have a bunch of buddies fighting in a couple months back in Louisiana and I want to help them get ready. So I’ll be around,” Poirier said.
“But in a perfect world, which this is not, I would have a full camp and have a fair shake at a title fight.”
