Poirier accepts Nate Diaz challenge vowing to beat UFC star "at any weight"
Days after defeating Conor McGregor at UFC 264, Dustin Poirier appears to have lined up yet another hugely lucrative bout and could be set to face Nate Diaz next.
Following Poirier's victory over McGregor, Diaz took to Twitter and posted a short message that sent MMA fans into a frenzy.
“185lbs. Pull up.”
Diaz attached a photo of the pair facing off at the UFC 230 weigh-ins, when they were previously expected to meet in a lightweight contest.
At the time, the Diamond was riding one of the most impressive win streaks in the sport, having previously defeated Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, and Eddie Alvarez.
Diaz, on the other hand, had not fought since his decision loss to Conor McGregor and had been out of action for over two years.
Unfortunately, Poirier was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an injury, but it seems like fans could still be treated to a clash between the pair following the Diamond’s response to Diaz’s callout.
Poirier replied to the tweet and claimed: “I’d touch you up at any weight.”
Do you think Nate Diaz would stand a chance against Dustin Poirier? Let us know in the comments section below.
A clash with Diaz would undoubtedly be lucrative for Poirier. However, a fight at middleweight would require the former UFC interim champion to move up two weight classes and gain a whopping 30-pounds.
Indeed, while Diaz has previously competed at welterweight with mixed success, Poirier has never fought above 155-pounds. Moving up several weight classes to face Diaz would be risky, to say the least.
Instead, it seems likely that Poirier will fight for the UFC's lightweight title next.
At the UFC 264 post-fight press conference, Dana White claimed "Dustin Poirier will fight for the title and when Conor is healed and ready to go, we'll do the rematch."
Brazil’s Charles Oliveira is the current champion, following his victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 262. While Oliveira is an excellent fighter, Poirier will likely enter the clash as the betting favourite.
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