Leading up to UFC on FOX 30, Dustin Poirier repeatedly said a win should deliver him a title shot. But, after taking out Eddie Alvarez last night, would the lightweight contender consider fighting Tony Ferguson?
In the preceding weeks to last night’s card, the consensus was that the winner of Poirier – Alvarez could, in theory, fight for the belt next. At the time, it wasn’t clear when Conor McGregor would be ready to compete, on account of his legal issues. Ferguson has said he’ll be ready to return to the cage this fall, following knee surgery, but, it remains to be seen if that’s the case.
Well, last week, McGregor reached a plea deal with New York authorities, which ensures he will be eligible to fight champ, Khabib Nurmagomedov. So, how is Poirier feeling now about his future prospects? After defeating Alvarez in Saturday’s main event?
While speaking to the media, Poirier had this to say, when asked about the prospect of waiting out a year for a title shot (quote via MMA Junkie):
“I don’t want to wait a year, but if it makes sense for me to wait four, six months, we’ll see. I’ve been fighting a while. This is my 39th fight, man. I feel like I’ve earned a position to contest for a world title.”
You can understand why Poirier feels this way. He’s just defeated one of the greatest lightweights of all time, and a former UFC champ. Plus, Poirier’s undefeated now in his last 5 bouts, and a championship bout would deliver a big check.
But, as we’ve seen in the past with the UFC, it would be kind of surprising if the promotion didn’t call on Poirier to fight again in the interim. In addition, Ferguson is waiting in the wings, and this is a guy who you can certainly say deserves a title shot more than Poirier. After all, he’s won 10 straight, and never lost the interim belt in the cage.
So what about Ferguson – Poirier? When asked about that possibility, “The Diamond” said this:
“If (UFC President) Dana (White) calls me, and we make a deal for the fight, maybe,” Poirier said. “I don’t know. I’m the best in the world, man. I could beat all these guys.”
There you have it. The big question is whether Ferguson’s team would even consider a fight, that doesn’t involve a title. All this aside, it’s going to be fascinating to see what transpires in the 155 division in the coming months.