Fans watching the UFC 257 main event would have thought that Dustin Poirier had his biggest win to date against Conor McGregor. However that is not the case for Dustin, as there is another win that felt bigger to him.
For years, Poirier had been among the best fighters in the lightweight division. He had the chance to prove this by beating then-featherweight champ Max Holloway for the interim lightweight strap.
From there he went on lost to undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. However he redeemed himself in a massive way at UFC 256, as he got revenge on a 2014 loss to Conor McGregor, with a TKO in the second round.
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Max Holloway Was The Bigger Fight
While many looked at this win over McGregor and said it was the biggest one in the career of Dustin Poirier, he does not exactly feel that way. Speaking in a recent interview, the Diamond revealed that another fight felt bigger to him than this.
He explained that it is hard to say which one meant more. However because of the belt that was attached to the Max Holloway win, that one felt bigger to him at the time.
“I think beating Max Holloway and getting the interim belt (was bigger),” Poirier said.
“It’s tough to say man. (With the McGregor win), I’ve kind of been, the travel and all the people reaching out, I’ve just been kind of numb with it all.
“With the Max Holloway thing, flying back with that belt, going through the airport with the belt, coming back home to Louisiana, that felt bigger to me, for some reason.”
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What’s Next For Dustin Poirier?
That is the question on everyone’s mind after this massive win. Unfortunately, the victory over Conor McGregor was not for the title, despite Khabib Nurmagomedov numerously saying he was not fighting again.
It seems like Khabib will be vacating his title officially, at some point in the near future. However Dustin does not like the idea of the UFC just handing him the title if that happens.
“Given is a word I would never use. I don’t want to be given anything. I’ve earned, and will continue to earn everything I have,” Poirier said.
“Why wasn’t (the fight with McGregor) for the belt? Politics? We’re chasing Khabib? What’s going on here? Why wasn’t that one for the belt?”
So the options in front of Dustin seem to be a trilogy bout with McGregor, or a fight with Charles Oliveira or Michael Chandler, any of which for the lightweight title. He says the UFC has not yet spoken to him, but he is not opposed to it being the rubber match.
“I mean, it’s 1-1. I knocked him out, he knocked me out. The rubber match, it does make sense,” Poirier explained.
“I think I’m most deserving to be in a title fight out of these guys, but I don’t know who it’s going to be against, when, where, what’s going on.”
Another potential opponent that Poirier has mentioned, and who has reciprocated the feeling, is Nate Diaz. Dustin says that this is a fight that promises to be fun, and he would excited for the opportunity, even if it doesn’t make sense.
“It’s exciting, it’s fun. Those are the kind of fights that I want to be part of man. Fights that are exciting to me and that I’m motivated to get up and bust my ass every day,” he explained.
“That’s exciting. That’s a guy I grew up watching, a guy who’s still a very big name. That’s it. That’s an exciting fight, I think the fans would be in for a great fight if that one happened.
“Does it make sense in the lightweight division? No. Does it make sense where I’m at, standing at the door front of a title shot? No. But it’s a fun fight, and this is entertainment, and this is fighting.”
At the end of the day, Dustin Poirier made it clear that he just wants to be the world champion. Outside of that, he just wants to have fun and exciting fights that get him motivated.
There is no doubt that he is the best lightweight in the world right now, not names Khabib Nurmagomedov. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.
