UFC president Dana White talked to the press last night after UFC on ESPN 15 and answered some questions about the Tony Ferguson’s next fight.
Per TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, White announced that Ferguson has a fight lined up and when asked whether it is against Dustin Poirier, he answered: “Probably”.
Dana White says that Tony Ferguson has a fight lined up. On whether Dustin Poirier is the opponent: "Probably"
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) August 23, 2020
On May 9 at UFC 249, Ferguson was up against Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. Despite his efforts, Ferguson could simply not withstand the continuous assaults from Justin Gaethje and was stopped in the 5th and last round. Tony Ferguson (25-4) was riding a historic 12 fights winning streak before losing to Gaethje. In that time he also held the interim lightweight championship but was later stripped due to injuries. His storied rivalry with the current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov excited many fans, and the cancellation of the bout earlier this year was devastating. But this clash of titans could still happen. Regardless of the result Nurmagomedov vs Gaethje at UFC 254, Tony Ferguson could still be an elite lightweight. And the surest way to solidify his case for a fight against the Russian is a win over Dustin Poirier.
Poirier (26-6), on the other hand, is coming off a big win over Dan Hooker by unanimous decision. Hooker had some early success in the fight, hurting Poirier on multiple occasions. But Poirier rallied around the mid-point of the fight and turned the tables on Hooker to win the fight. Many MMA fans and fellow fighters were in awe of both men’s performance and the fight rightfully appointed “Fight of The Night” by Dana White. This win allowed Poirier to bounce back after his submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov back at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. Just like Ferguson, Poirier held the interim lightweight Ferguson, the only difference being that he actually got to fight for the undisputed title. Poirier came up short in his fight against Nurmagomedov, but a win over Tony Ferguson could put him in prime position to fight for the belt again.
After hearing Dana White’s words, Poirier reacted to the news on twitter.
El Diamante
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) August 23, 2020
“El Diamante” which would translate to Poirier’s nickname “The Diamond”, a clever pun making use of Tony Ferguson’s nickname “El Cucuy”.
This is not the first time that Poirier has hinted at fighting Ferguson. He’s often very active on twitter and interacts openly with his fans.
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) August 20, 2020
A fight between these two fighters could help determine the future of the lightweight division.
