Getty UFC fighter Dustin Poirier attends UFC 271.
UFC star Dustin Poirier has once again stated that he would be fighting in November despite no official announcement from the promotion.
Former interim UFC lightweight title holder Poirier has remained on the sidelines since his last outing against the uncrowned lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 in Dec. 2021. Oliveira pulled off an incredible comeback after getting knocked down early to finish Poirier with a rear-naked choke submission.
Following the second unsuccessful title shot, Poirier was not sure about his future. He had indicated a move up to welterweight and rallied for a matchup with fan favorite Nate Diaz.
A clash with former title challenger Michael Chandler seemed to be the most likely option next for Poirier after the two got into a brief scuffle in July at T-Mobile Arena during the International Fight Week card of UFC 276.
“Diamond” had previously declared that he would mark his long-awaited return to action in an Aug. 26 tweet, writing: “I’m fighting Nov 12th.” However, no further details or updates were provided, and the promotion did not confirm the news either.
Despite no official announcement from the UFC, Poirier insists that he will be fighting in November, responding to a tweet from a fan on Sep. 1.
“Are you fighting at MSG @DustinPoirier,” asked the user.
“Yes,” responded Poirier.
Both details shared by Poirier point toward the promotion’s grand return to Madison Square Garden in New York for UFC 281, scheduled for Nov. 12, featuring the headlining middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
Who Will Poirier Fight in His Return?
After racking up two straight wins over former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor, a fourth outing with the biggest draw in the sport looked like a possibility for when the Irish icon would be fit to return.
Poirier’s speculation regarding his future at 155-pounds seems to have faded away after his potential showdown with Diaz fell through. Although “Diamond” has made it clear on numerous occasions that he wants to fight again, he has endured a tough time getting booked. His altercation with Chandler gained traction within the community and set the two top-ranked lightweights on a collision course.
Company president Dana White expressed his interest in making the fight happen and stated that he would be looking to pit them against each other but reserved any concrete details about when it would take place.
Poirier Believes He’s a Tough Matchup for Chandler
In June, Poirier made an appearance on “The Fight with Teddy Atlas” podcast and shared his thoughts on how we would match up against Chandler from a stylistic viewpoint.
Poirier referenced Chandler’s callout after his win at UFC 274 and explained that he would be a tough fit for Chandler, who tends to get hit with some big shots due to his entertaining fighting style, preferring to brawl it out for the fans.
“I’m a dangerous fight for him. I think I’m a clean puncher, accurate,” Poirier said (ht Mike Heck of MMA Fighting). “He called out Conor [McGregor], think Conor is a dangerous fight for him, too. I’m not saying Chandler’s chinny or anything, but he gets hurt in a lot of his fights, and guys like Conor, they can punch. If you’re getting hurt by Tony Ferguson and dropped by [Charles] Oliveira, guys like me, guys like Conor, if we touch your chin, it’s gonna be bad.”