Getty Dustin Poirier poses during a ceremonial weigh in for UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena on July 09, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dustin Poirier has eyes on the UFC’s welterweight division in the future, “The Diamond” said during a question-and-answer session with fans and ESPN’s Laura Sanko on August 24, 2021. Poirier is keeping his options open as he looks ahead to a possible Lightweight title shot against champion Charles Oliviera or a possible big money fight against someone like Nate Diaz. Poirier, who beat Conor McGregor in their trilogy fight in July 2021, is currently booked for a fight.
Poirier told Sanko when asked if he wanted to fight at 170 pounds, “Of course I would. Those are some big guys. But we’ll see. I definitely think I can fight at 170. Honestly, now at 155 my metabolism has kind of caught up. When I was cutting to 145, between fights I would get a lot heavier than I do now. I think my body, my metabolism, was getting messed up and holding on to a lot of weight. You know I was shooting up to 190 when I was fighting 45. Now I don’t even get past 182 is kind of the max I walk around at. I think I could fight at 170 as well.”
Poirier said that if he does challenge Oliviera and is able to win the Lightweight championship, he would also consider moving up to try to go for double gold. But Poirier said “focusing that far ahead takes me away from what’s in front of me. I try not to do that in life or with fighting. And I still haven’t signed a contract, so it’s not like I know for sure that I’m fighting for the belt next. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. But I definitely think I could make some waves at 170. I don’t know if it would be an immediate move. I think I would have to defend the belt. But we’ll see. Time will tell.”
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Poirier Said There Are Some ‘Fun Fights’ in the Welterweight Division
Poirier told Sanko about the welterweight division, “There’s some fun fights there.” Poirier, who began his career as a featherweight and who has not fought at the 170-pound weight class, added that he’s not sure how much longer he will continue to compete.
“I don’t want to put a year or a certain amount of fights on it. Because I still feel pretty good. I’ve said it over and over again I have a lot of tread left on the tires,” Poirier told Sanko. “I just want to be smart about the fights moving forward. I want them to be big fights I want the fans to be excited about. I think I’ve put myself in that position with the years of work that I’ve put in. I have 9 amateur fights and 30-something pro fights, I still feel good. I’m 32 years old. We’ll see what happens. But I’ve got a few left for sure.”
Poirier also sees challenges in the Lightweight division, telling Sanko when asked what his toughest matchup at 155 would be, “For a few years now I think 155 has been one of, if not the toughest, division in the UFC. It’s been top heavy for a lot of years, with a lot of contenders waiting for their shot, and now there’s new guys in the mix and it’s growing stronger. I think Khabib would, but he’s not in the mix right now. Maybe Islam (Makhachev), similar style.”
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Poirier Said Nate Diaz Could Be a Potential Fight at 170
Poirier said he could see himself testing the waters at welterweight with a bout against another fighter who has competed at lightweight, Nate Diaz. The two have hinted at a potential matchup on Twitter and it could be one that would be a major draw.
“I’ve wanted to fight Nate for a long time. Maybe that’s one of the fights I move up to 170 for. I think we will end up fighting at some point,” Poirier told Sanko. “Of course I want to be the world champion, and I am a provider, so money does help me make decisions, but as a fan of the sport, I’ve been watching Nate for so long, he has a fun style. And I want to be involved in fights fans are excited about. I think that would be one of them. I think our styles, it would be a very violent fight. But we’ll have to see. I have to get on the phone with the UFC and figure this thing out.”
Poirier was asked what mental practices he uses to deal with the high stress of fighting and how he manages to stay so calm.
At the beginning of training camp, on a piece of paper I draw a circle. And everything inside that circle, I write words or things that I have control of. My diet. My work ethic. My preparation. My focus. Everything outside of that I write what I don’t have control of. The critics, My opponent. Even my training partners. And every few days, every few weeks I go back to it,” Poirier said. “I have the date written in the middle of that circle. And throughout the weeks I might add a thing here or there to the circle or outside the circle when things come up. And it just kind of refreshes my mind and keeps me focused on the. things I can control, because whatever’s inside the circle is really the only thing I have control of. Everything outside is just noise. I think that’s helped me tremeoundsly.”
Poirier said he picked that practice up from a friend named Jeff Jordan.
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