Dustin Poirier was originally the number one contender in UFC lightweight division before Charles Oliveira got demoted. ‘The Diamond’ pretty much dominated the division for the last five years, having only lost two times in two title bouts – against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019 and Charles Oliveira in December of 2021.
Dustin Poirier had three bouts last year. However, the Lafayette native still hasn’t received any confirmation about his next bout. Since losing to Oliveira, Poirier has been expressing his frustration through his social media.
Recently, a rumor spread online saying UFC officials are in discussion to pair the Lafayette native with number 6 contender Beneil Dariush. Though, it sounds like a pretty good matchup, it turned out to be just hearsay. Poirier himself refuted the rumor on his Twitter account and wrote “Fake news.”
Back in July, Dariush revealed he asked for:
“I’ve asked for Dustin [Poirier] or [Michael] Chandler but I’m not hearing a whole lot… At this point, I just need somebody in front of me”
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier debunked the rumor that he’s in negotiations to face Beneil Dariush and called it fake news. Dariush was heartbroken and hilariously reacted to Poirier’s statement.
Beneil Dariush popped up on Poirier’s tweet and responded to his tweet with a heartbroken emoji.
💔🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/Myo47ghJ72
— Beneil Dariush (@beneildariush) July 19, 2022
Beneil Dariush is on his 7th win in a row with his latest match being in May 2021 against Tony Ferguson. He was previously scheduled to face Islam Makhachev. However, due to injury, Dariush had to pull out and is currently waiting for his next opponent.
Meanwhile, Dustin Poirier is considering a move up to the welterweight division. There are several athletes at 170 pounds that would be a good match for Poirier, such as his former longtime teammate Colby Covington and old rival Nate Diaz.
UFC president Dana White discussed the situation regarding Dustin Poirier. The 55-year-old they’re not having any trouble in getting fights for Poirier. He also explained that the promotion will be at disadvantage if they fail to keep their obligations.
“I don’t think he’s getting shut off at every corner. I wouldn’t feel too bad for anybody. Listen, we make fights, I got to make fights, think about this, I have to make three fights a year for everybody on the roster. So, nobody’s just sitting around going, ‘oh, I can’t find a fight. Why can’t I get [a fight]?” White said on Yahoo Sports.
He added,