Dustin Poirier Weighs-In on Showdown With Khabib Nurmagomedov, Donald Cerrone vs. Tony Ferguson

Dustin Poirier sounds very confident that he’s going to unify the UFC’s lightweight titles. It also looks like he thinks a showdown with Donald Cerrone could be on the horizon.

Since Poirier laid claim to the interim 155 title last month, by earning a decision win over Max Holloway, the expectation is that he’ll face the champ Khabib Nurmagomedov next. Of course, in Nurmagomedov, he’ll take on one of the greatest fighters on the planet, who has yet to lose in pro-MMA.

Recently Poirier was a guest on MMA Junkie Radio, and while discussing his expected fight with Khabib, he said this (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“I can beat anybody in the world. Khabib’s skin is going up next,” Poirier said. “I can beat anybody in the world. I just need to put the work in and show up in the moment, ready to perform, and I can beat anybody.”

“It’s prestigious to be the first person to give Khabib that L,” Poirier stated. … “Me being the interim champ, it’s a piece of the world title. I understand that. We have to unify the belts.”

Poirier also noted that he thinks the Khabib fight will likely take place at UFC 242, September 7th. So, if he were to unify the belts, who could be next? Well, while Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje are at the top of the division, former interim champ Tony Ferguson will fight Cerrone on June 8th. When asked for his take on that fight, Poirier said this (quote via MMA Mania):

“I think Cowboy wins that fight but we’ll see,” Poirier said. “I’m not even looking that far ahead. I never disrespect the work that needs to be done and I have a lot ahead of me with this Khabib fight.”

How about that? Ferguson is currently the betting lines favorite, and he’s also someone who has won 11 straight bouts. That said, Cerrone has also been on a roll, and is coming off victories over lightweight contenders Al Iaquinta and Alex Hernandez. It’s also worth noting that “El Cucuy” hasn’t fought now since October, and has been sidelined due to well documented personal issues. 

All this aside, there’s no question these are very interesting times in the UFC’s lightweight division. If all goes well, we could potentially see two more lightweight title fights before the year is out.