Dustin Poirier is never one to shy away from a fight and now he might be one to go looking for a fight.
The Friday of Fight Week is often filled with excitement and sometimes drama. Today as the fighters began to step on the scale for UFC 279, the drama began to unfold. As time went on there were rumblings that Khamzat Chimaev, one of the headliners may be overweight. Those rumors turned out to be true as he stepped on the scale at 178 pounds, seven pounds over the welterweight limit. Immediately people began to wonder if the fight against Nate Diaz would be off, or if perhaps a replacement would be called in. One man who was not on the premise or even in the state decided to chime in.
Dustin Poirier heard the news that there may be trouble just like everyone else and decided to post a picture of himself on a scale. He was closer to the 171-pound limit than Chimaev was and offered his services.
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) September 9, 2022
Dustin Poirier offers to face Diaz and save the UFC 279 fight card
The picture posted by Poirier could have just been a trash-talking tactic to tease Chimaev and gain the attention of Diaz. However, he followed it up by retweeting a message from his friend, former UFC fighter Alan Jouban.
Just trained with @DustinPoirier. He’s on weight and down to work with the @ufc. Even has wheels 🛩 on stand by. I say give the man a chance! #UFC279
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) September 9, 2022
“Just trained with Dustin Poirier. He’s on weight and down to work with the UFC. Even has wheels 🛩 on stand-by. I say give the man a chance!” Jouban wrote on Twitter.
Unfortunately, the likelihood that the UFC would go for this plan is very slim. The official weigh-ins are over and Poirier was not there. His offer could have been accepted for a later date, but he already has a fight set up with Michael Chandler at UFC 281. One option that could be possible is that either Tony Ferguson or Li Jingliang could step in and face Diaz. Both men made weight for their co-main event fight and are there already. If Diaz does accept to fight Chimaev at this heavier weight he would receive a portion of his fight purse, but the weight differential is large and could swing the odds in Chimaev’s favor.
