While Dustin Poirier can see himself fighting Nate Diaz down the line, it’s not No. 1 on his to-do list.
Poirier and Diaz have been on a collision course for years, having previously been booked to compete at UFC 230 in November 2018 before the fight fell through. After Poirier scored his second straight marquee win over Conor McGregor at UFC 264, Diaz called him out, and they exchanged a few words on Twitter.
But Poirier (28-6 MMA, 20-5 UFC) says despite the pair seemingly agreeing to fight on social media, he hasn’t even been approached about a potential fight with Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC).
“Wolf tickets. … You know how these negotiations go,” Poirier said on “The MMA Hour.” “Unless they’re talking to him and they said something –nothing’s been offered to me at all. I haven’t spoken to the UFC. I can’t say the same for Nate, for Nathaniel. But like I said, I think they will call me soon.”
Though Poirier doesn’t necessarily envision fighting Diaz next, he won’t rule out a fight with the Stockton superstar in the future. The narrative was that Poirier withdrew due to a hip injury, but “The Diamond” says there’s more to the story.
“He won’t tell the true story of how the fight fell apart,” Poirier said. “I’m the fall guy. I get some injections in my hip, and it looks like I pulled out of the fight, when the fight was already off the table at that point. I just feel like we’ve got to fight at some point. But we’ll see.”
He continued, “He’s a fighter I’ve been watching a long time. I think our styles match up well. It would be a great fight, but I’m not chasing it. There’s a possibility that it could happen, but on my things-to-do list, that’s not the next thing to do.”
Since losing to former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Poirier has been on a role, winning three straight thrilling contests. There’s no doubt that he’s next in line for newly crowned champion Charles Oliveira, and Poirier said he is just waiting for the call from UFC president Dana White.
“I think I’m the clear-cut No. 1 guy who should be fighting for the belt,” Poirier said. “I think after the fight, Dana even said that was the next thing that was going to happen, but we’ll see. I’ve heard people say they think it’s going to happen in December, but that’s just me looking at MMA headlines, so I don’t know what’s going to happen. I have a feeling we’re going to find out soon.”
‘Wolf tickets’: Dustin Poirier shuts down rumors of Nate Diaz fight