It’ll be nothing new to [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag], but if he decides to stick around in the MMA game a little bit longer, he’ll have no shortage of potential opponents while he heads toward the sunset.
Add former featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] to this list of fighters who would sign on the line for a fight with Poirier after UFC 302 on Saturday.
In the main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) was submitted in the fifth round by lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC), who defended his title for the third time, which ties the UFC’s record. Poirier, a former interim lightweight champ, had his third shot at an undisputed belt.
After the loss, Poirier said it may have been his final fight. At 35, he’s been fighting more than half his life, since he was 17. But Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) let it be known after UFC 302 he’d be interested in a fight with Poirier.
In February at UFC 298, Volkanovski lost the featherweight title to Ilia Topuria by second-round knockout. Topuria has been angling for a fight with Max Holloway with the “BMF” belt up for grabs, so Volkanovski may be hedging his bets if a rematch for the title isn’t in the cards.
“Maybe, just maybe, depending on what I’m doing and when – obviously I want to fight later in the year when I know exactly what’s happening,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel (h/t to Championship Rounds). “I don’t want to wait too long, either. If the timing works, maybe me and Dustin could have a good fight. I know he just wants good, fun fights. We’ve got a lot of respect for each other, and I think that would be a massive fight.
“That’s something that I’d be willing to do while I’m waiting for that featherweight title (shot). Maybe I could get a lightweight fight against someone like a Dustin Poirier, it would be great. You heard it here first. Maybe we can make something happen. Dustin, you’re a legend. Keep your head up. That was a great performance, still. Maybe we could have a little fun in there – have a little dance. Let me know what you think.”
Alexander Volkanovski calls out Dustin Poirier 👀
"Maybe depending on what I'm doing, obviously I want to fight later in the year… if the timing works maybe me and Dustin can have a good fight.
I know he just wants good fun fights… I think that would be a massive fight so… pic.twitter.com/l7G5LzKga0
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 2, 2024
Volkanovski has been adamant that his next fight at featherweight will be a fight for the title he once held. Short of that, he’ll fight at lightweight – where he lost two title shots to Makhachev before he lost his featherweight belt to Topuria.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.