It looks like the fighting bug has bit Dustin Poirier. The former UFC interim lightweight champion, who was looking to hang up his gloves after losing to Islam Makhachev, has now been teasing opponent after opponent on Twitter giving fans hope that he will return. And his choice of opponent- Justin Gaethje and that too for a trilogy fight!
And it sort of makes sense in its own way too. The first time Poirier ever though of retiring was his first loss to Gaethje. He thought about hanging up the gloves after that KO loss. And now, with the way the UFC lightweight division is stacked right now, a trilogy fight between the pair makes sense.
Both fighters lost their last fight and may not get another title shot again.
However, they both still remain two of the biggest names in the division and a trilogy fight that promises a slugfest with murder in mind could possibly sell better than even a title fight.
Poirier, for one is itching for it, evident by the way he’s been tweeting about it.
Trilogy?
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) September 24, 2024
And although the trilogy fight may not get either of them closer to a title shot, it would be a fitting end to Dustin Poirier’s UFC career. Meanwhile, Gaethje himself is currently looking for his next fight. Gaethje’s last fight is probably the most seen footage of any UFC fight ever.
His KO by Max Holloway might have been spectacular to look at but it also raised a lot of questions about how much damage can one man take through his career! Look at what’s happened to Tony Ferguson.
And the way Gaethje struggled against Holloway for that BMF title fight was not encouraging, to say the least. Before knocking him out with 1 second to go, Holloway actually had the fight won by points!
But as far as Gaethje goes, right now, he’s got no rush, nothing else to do, other than playing golf.
First we golf, then we fight: Gaethje
As mentioned before, Gaethje is in no rush to return to the octagon. However, he has a list of names that would make sense for him in his return.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, he spoke about who he would like to fight next, as he was playing a round at Top Golf,
“Yeah I have a list you know (Dan) Hooker, (Charles Oliveira), (Dustin) Poirier, and (Alexander) Volkanovski is a list of four people that I think any of those would do for me.”
‘The Highlight’ still has his eyes set on UFC gold but given that Islam Makhachev, the UFC lightweight champion won’t just hand him a title shot, he will have to get a few wins under his belt and do it in the bloodiest way possible. Make a spectacle out of it, so to speak. And there is no one better matched for that outcome other than Dustin Poirier.
Truth is, if he can get a win against any of the names he mentioned, it does put him into title contention. But given that this is the most stacked division in the UFC, the fight better be one for the highlight reels that Islam can watch as he recovers and prepares for Arman Tsarukyan in Dagestan.
