Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Dustin Poirier expressed his interest in a fight with UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in a social media post on Thursday.
“I want that belt,” Poirier wrote in a post on X, tagging Makhachev as well as UFC president Dana White.
The Diamond @DustinPoirier
I Want that belt @AliAbdelaziz00 @danawhite @MAKHACHEVMMA
Poirier is fresh off an impressive victory against Benoît Saint-Denis at UFC 299 on March 9, securing a swift second-round knockout after losing two of his previous three fights.
After taking down Saint Denis, the 35-year-old now owns a record of 30-8 overall.
As for Makhachev, his previous bout was a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 on Oct. 21. He defended his title by knocking out Volkanovski with a left head kick in the opening round.
Makhachev told MMA Junkie on March 14 that he would be open to facing Poirier, although he doesn’t believe that he deserves a shot at the title.
“I know Dustin does not deserve the title fight, but we don’t have any option right now,” Makhachev said. “Everybody is busy. I want to fight. I want to fight three times this year. I have to call out someone, and Poirier is free now. He showed an excellent performance and scored a beautiful knockout. He’s free now, he’s healthy, and I asked him to fight in June.”
“He’s beat a lot of top guys,” he added. “He’s a legend. A fight with him, it’s going to be good for me – for the history, for everything.”
The lightweight champion followed it up on Monday by calling out Poirier’s defeats prior to his win at UFC 299, taunting him in a post on X.
Makhachev Islam @MAKHACHEVMMA
Dustin if you could beat anybody, you’d be holding this belt right now, not me 🤷🏼♂️
If the fight occurs, Makhachev will be looking to defend his title against one of the sport’s most notable figures while Poirier has his sights set on a return to the mountaintop.
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Bleacher Report – https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10114750-dustin-poirier-eyes-ufc-title-fight-vs-islam-makhachev-i-want-that-belt
