Mak vs. Diamond? ‘Islam Would Be Game’

Islam Makhachev is interested in fighting Dustin Poirier in Saudi Arabia on the UFC’s June 22nd card. But is the UFC interested in booking it?

Following his big UFC 299 win over Benoit Saint-Denis in Miami, a frustrated Dustin Poirier declared there was no clear path forward to a title shot in the ‘murky’ lightweight division. But that no longer seems to be the case after 155 pound champ Islam Makhachev’s manager issues a challenge to “The Diamond.”

“Dustin Poirier took a huge risk tonight and came out on top and looked amazing,” Ali Abdelaziz wrote on Twitter following UFC 299. “Dustin vs Islam in June especially since everyone else has fights. If the UFC is good with this then Islam would be game.”

Poirier responded with his own call for “Islam in June,” adding a nose-steam emoticon for emphasis.

There are three UFC shows in June: UFC 302 on the 1st, UFC Riyadh on the 22nd, and UFC 303 on the 29th. None have main events set, so Abdelaziz could mean any of them. But there has been speculation that Islam Makhachev would be a no-brainer for the Saudi Arabia event given his popularity in the region.

The only issue?

“It’s a ‘Fight Night’ card and there will not be a championship fight on it,” White said about the card back in January. Things certainly could have changed since then, especially considering Saudi Arabia’s reported refusal to accept UFC cards without sufficient star power.

Regardless of which event it is in June, Abdelaziz does have a point about everyone else being unavailable. Justin Gaethje, who was all but promised the next title shot against Makhachev, is set to face Max Holloway at UFC 300 on April 13th. What chance is there that he could turn around in two months for the most important fight of his career? Charles Oliveira also fights at UFC 300. It’s just too soon.

Makhachev clearly wants to compete in June. If the UFC wants him to compete in June as well, then Poirier suddenly makes a lot of sense.