Dustin
Poirier is well aware of Colby
Covington’s callout, but he doesn’t sound all that interested
in pursuing a fight against the outspoken welterweight.
Shortly after vanquishing former American Top Team training partner
Jorge
Masvidal in the UFC 272 headliner on March 5, Covington turned
his attention to Poirier, another ATT stalwart. In an interview on
the UFC Fight Night 203 post-fight show, Poirier addressed
Covington’s remarks while not completely ruling out a move to 170
pounds in the future.
“It’s cute. It’s all good. It is what it is. People want big
fights,” Poirier said. “That’s a big fight. He wants a big fight.
Obviously, he’s not in line for the title fight. He lost twice to
the champ so he probably needs a few more wins, but I would think
if you want to get back to that strap, you’ve got to fight
welterweight contenders.
“I don’t know what I’m doing, if I’m going to welterweight, if I’m
staying at [155 pounds], we’ll see. It is what it is.”
Poirier began his UFC tenure as a featherweight before moving to
155 pounds, where he has enjoyed his greatest success, including
challenging for the title on two different occasions. He admitted
that he might enjoy life a little bit more at welterweight,
however.
“I can still make 155, it’s just how I want to spend my days,”
Poirier said. “Like, if I want to be in camp dieting hardcore, or
maybe living a little bit more of a fun camp where I can eat and
feel like I can heal up and just have fun training, not hating the
diet. We’ll see. I’m not making any huge decisions right now. Just
kind of playing the options I have.”
While Covington has made the feud personal, “The Diamond” is far
more interested in a clash with Nate Diaz.
That bout was supposed to happen at Madison Square Garden in 2018
but ultimately fell through.
“Nate
Diaz is a fight I want,” Poirier said. “I’ve been watching him
and his brother forever so it’s exciting for me. The matchup would
be fun for the fans. That’s more likely than the Colby fight. This
summer, I think it’s going to happen.”