Getty UFC fighter Dustin Poirier attends UFC 271.
Colby Covington called out Dustin Poirier after his win at UFC 272 but it appears “The Diamond” has no interest in that matchup.
Poirier was in Las Vegas on Saturday to corner for AJ Fletcher and was asked about Covington’s aggressive message.
“It’s cute,” Poirier told ESPN. “It’s all good. It is what it is. People want big fights. That’s a big fight. He wants big fights. Obviously, he’s not in line for the title fight. He lost twice to the champ, so he probably needs a few more wins. But I would think if you want to get back to that strap you have to fight welterweight contenders. I don’t know what I’m doing, if I’m going to welterweight, if I’m staying at 155. We’ll see, but it is what it is.”
Poirier’s last fight was in December when he fell to lightweight champ Charles Oliveira, losing via third-round submission. Poirier will have a few high-profile options for his next scrap but isn’t entertaining the idea of facing his former American Top Team teammate.
After all, Poirier was the target of some ruthless trash talk from Conor McGregor and he likely isn’t eager to get into a war of words with another loud-mouthed fighter.
“It’s working for him,” Poirier said. “He’s got people talking. You’re asking me about him. It’s just not my style. That’s what I dislike about the sport nowadays.”
Covington Has Crossed the Line With Trash Talk
Covington has no off switch when it comes to talking trash and has gone over the line at times, including in his call out of Poirier, which included references to his wife.
“Let’s do it, bro. You said it’s on sight, man. Let’s do it, man,” said Covington during his post-fight press conference. “Stop talking reckless to the media, man. If I talk to the media and say things, I come out here and I back it up. I’m a man of my words.
“So we can do it anywhere. We don’t have to do it in the UFC Octagon. If he wants to do it in a park or in the street, my only one stipulation is he let the world watch and enjoy themselves, just like he does when Conor’s in bed with his wife.”
A fight Poirier is interested in is with UFC legend Nate Diaz, who has just one win since 2016.
“Nate Diaz is a fight I want,” Poirier said. “I’ve been watching him and his brother forever, so it’s exciting for me. It would be a fun matchup for the fans. That’s more likely than the Colby fight.”
Covington Could Challenege Israel Adesanya
Covington is in an interesting spot. Yes, he won his last fight against a quality opponent, but also has a pair of recent losses to current welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.
Former UFC fighter turned media personality Chael Sonnen thinks that a matchup with middleweight champ Israel Adesanya would be a good test for Covington.
“Colby made a suggestion: ‘I’m gonna take that golden ticket, (and) I’m gonna go to 185 pounds.’ I think he should be allowed to do it,” Sonnen told Helen Yee. “You cannot be a No. 1 contender and not get a title shot. It’s not right.”