Dustin Poirier has largely been an underdog throughout his UFC career. Despite some amazing performances against some of the best the lightweight division had to offer, he rarely gets the credit he deserves. Dustin Poirier has notable victories against title prospect Justin Gaethje, former champion Eddie Alvarez, former champion Max Holloway, and Anthony Pettis. Additionally, he also maintained an impressive winning streak before losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship at UFC 242.
Poirier should move to the welterweight division
Poirier is a big man for a lightweight and resembles a dominant figure like Khabib, at the division. He hardly has anything left to prove in the division. Poirier should decide to stay on the outcome that he gets to fight Khabib in a rematch for the championship belt. However, that looks highly unlikely.
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Poirier will look to seek new opponents, and estblish his name further in mixed martial arts. In case Poirier has to face the same opponents again to get back into the title picture, it drops the focus away from rising title contendors in the division.
Dustin Poirier against Nate Diaz at 170
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Both the fighters were once scheduled to fight in 2018 at Madison Square Garden. However, the fight fell apart due to unconfirmed reasons. The match was going to co-main event UFC 230. Poirier dropped out of the match due to injury. However, reports of Nate Diaz being unhappy with the company also came up.
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Since then, both the fighters have gone back and forth on social media on various occassions. If Poirier decides to jump to the welterweight division, a fight with Nate Diaz is certain to get the crowd moving.
Diaz is coming off a loss against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244. He has not announced retirement this time, and wishes to be back if the negotiation for the fight goes well. Diaz’s return to the octagon is always met with grand welcome. Additionally, Poirier’s return after Khabib’s fight will bring the attention back to the match-up. A win for Poirier will certainly help him find interesting match-ups in the dominant welterweight division.