Dustin Poirier played matchmaker for the UFC’s lightweight division and has an idea for Conor McGregor’s return.
Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC), a former interim lightweight champion, is coming off a title loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 this past December. He didn’t pick an opponent for himself, but “The Diamond” put together three matchups in the stacked 155-pound division that he thinks make sense.
Prior to losing to Oliveira, Poirier scored back-to-back stoppage wins over McGregor, who broke his leg in their trilogy bout at UFC 264 in July 2021. With McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) nearing his return, Poirier would like to see him fight one of his former opponents, Justin Gaethje (23-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC).
“Justin Gaethje vs. the return of Conor McGregor,” Poirier said on ESPN’s DC & RC. “The hype, the buildup – somebody’s going to sleep. I mean, you’re tuning in for a car wreck – a head-on collision, and I want to see it.”
With the lightweight title currently vacant due to Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) missing weight in his win over Gaethje at UFC 274, Poirier wants to see the former champ against the streaking Islam Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC).
“Charles Oliveira vs. Islam – we’ve got to do it,” Poirier said. “I know it’s a vacant title fight, but to me Charles is defending his belt against Islam if this happens, and I think it should happen.”
Finally, Poirier pit his American Top Team teammate Mateusz Gamrot (21-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) against Beneil Dariush (21-4-1 MMA, 15-4-1 UFC). Gamrot is coming off a main event win against fellow rising contender Arman Tsarukyan.
“Beneil Dariush – this is a curveball – vs. Gamrot, a guy who I train with, who’s breaking into the rankings, who’s a great grappler, who needs to prove himself against a veteran – and that’s the fight,” Poirier said. “That’s going to be a fun matchup. I think it’s going to be a lot of scrambles. Dariush is going to have trouble getting him down, and if he does, he’s got his hands full there.”
Who does that leave for Poirier? Host Daniel Cormier suggested Michael Chandler, but Poirier didn’t seem too interested, despite the pair getting into an altercation while in attendance for UFC 276.
