A planned bout between Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier fell through in 2018, and the latter’s hoping to make that fight a reality in 2020. So much so, Poirier has offered to box Diaz, if that’s what it takes to throw hands with the Stockton star.
Poirier believes he’d “shine” in bout with Diaz
It remains to be seen who and when Poirier will fight next, following his submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in September. Immediately following his loss to the lightweight champ, Poirier was non-committal about his future in fighting, but more recently “The Diamond’s” relayed he plans to make another title run.
In addition, the 31-year-old is still hoping to battle Diaz at some juncture, as recently he told MMA Junkie this:
“I know it’s a fight I can shine in,” Poirier said. “I know it’s a fight that at this point of my career where I’d be excited to do that training camp and do those boxing rounds and do those jiu-jitsu rounds. That’s a fun opponent to get ready for with my style of fighting, and with the coaches I have around me, I think I can prepare very well for that fight and put on a great performance.”
Since both Poirier and Diaz are coming off losses (Diaz lost via TKO to Jorge Masvidal in November) the bout makes sense. That said, it’s hard to say whether Diaz would be interested in this match-up right now. After his loss to Masvidal, Diaz made it very clear he wants a rematch. But, UFC President Dana White didn’t sound on board. So, you have to wonder if we might see Diaz return to the sidelines as a result.
And what about the weight? Since Diaz has been fighting at 170 more recently? Poirier also said this:
“….I would do it at 170, I would do it at whatever weight they wanted to do it. I think that’s a fun fight. I think the fans would like that fight. But we’ll see. That is a fight that I want, but I don’t know what’s next. I don’t even know if that guy will fight again.”
Poirier would box Diaz too
Another interesting development to come out of the interview was Poirier’s comments about boxing Diaz. The latter has repeatedly talked about boxing in the past, which could be why Poirier also relayed the following:
“I’d be willing to box him if they wanted to do that,” Poirier said. “I wish Zuffa Boxing was around and we’d have an opportunity – him and his brother were always talking about crossing over to boxing, I’d love to put the paws on him and show you guys my boxing skills.”
There you have it, although, we don’t known if White’s going to bring over UFC fighters for matches in his boxing promotion. While a boxing match between Poirier and Diaz might not generate a lot of interest in the boxing world, you would think a fair amount of MMA fans would tune in?
More About:MMA MMA Frenzy Sports