Nate Diaz doesn’t think Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje are the right candidates for the “BMF” title.
Poirier (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) and Gaethje (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) will run things back for the vacant “BMF” title on July 29 in the UFC 291 headliner, which takes place at Delta Center in Salt Lake City and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Diaz fought Jorge Masvidal for the inaugural “BMF” title at UFC 244 in 2019, but lost by TKO at the end of Round 3 when the doctors rendered him unable to continue due to big cuts above and below his right eye. Masvidal never ended up defending the “BMF” title and retired from MMA in April.
The UFC decided to bring the belt back, but Diaz doesn’t see Poirier and Gaethje as the right fit.
“Yeah, I don’t feel they fit the criteria, I’m good,” Diaz told Inside Fighting. “Yeah, they’re dorks. Poirier and Gaethje, right? What are you talking about?”
Diaz was once booked to face Poirier in 2018, and linked to a matchup with him on numerous occasions, but the fight never materialized.
The Stockton superstar parted ways with the UFC last year and makes his pro boxing debut Aug. 5 in Dallas, where he’ll take on YouTuber-turned-pro-boxer Jake Paul in an eight-round, 185-pound matchup that headlines a pay-per-view co-promoted by DAZN and Diaz’s Real Fight Inc.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s even hub for UFC 291.
Nate Diaz: Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje don’t ‘fit the criteria’ for BMF title fight