Ferguson Targets ‘Stand-Up Battle’ Against Poirier

Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is coming off four straight losses with two of those defeats ending by way of knockout. As a result, “El Cucuy” has dropped all the way to No. 9 in the official 155-pound rankings.

Fortunately for Ferguson, promotion president Dana White is not prepared to say goodbye to the former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) champion, even after these incendiary comments. But the question remains, who will Ferguson fight next?

“I would love to be able to fight Dustin Poirier,” Ferguson told MMA Junkie. “Obviously he likes to go stand-up. A stand-up battle wouldn’t be bad. When I’m ready to fight I will let the UFC know. I guarantee you they’ll let me know, too, ‘Hey, this is who we have.’ I was ready for (Islam) Makhachev in Abu Dhabi if some things would’ve been a little bit different. But I try to take these opportunities and present them so I’m there for the company. They know I’m a company man, and that’s why they said I’m not going anywhere.”

No question Poirier would be a fan-friendly fight, but “The Diamond” — who is coming off a submission loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 — has won eight of his last 10 and currently sits at No. 2 in the official lightweight rankings.

That said, rankings don’t seem to matter much to Poirier or he wouldn’t be so hellbent on fighting welterweight veteran Nate Diaz, who hasn’t seen the inside of the Top 15 in several years. As of this writing, “The Diamond” has yet to respond to Ferguson’s callout.