“They called…” – Dustin Poirier reveals stunning detail about UFC 294 drama for Islam Makhachev fight
Dustin Poirier reveals offer to face Islam Makhachev for the title at UFC 294. However, the UFC ultimately decided to go with Alexander Volkanovski.
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Dustin Poirier accepted the offer to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 (Source: Instagram/IMAGO)
UFC 294 saw a drastic change from its initial card. Alexander Volkanovski will step in for Charles Oliveira to face current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. UFC bought in Volkanovksi after Oliveira suffered a gruesome cut. Amidst all these, Dustin Poirier also revealed that the UFC called him for the title bout at UFC 294.
“Could you have made 155 if they had called you for next weekend???” A fan asked Poirier in a recent tweet. “Yes, they did call and I did say yes,” replied Poirier. The former interim lightweight champion was amongst a few others, like Mateusz Gamrot, who the promotion considered to face the champion. But at last, Volkanovski remained the best viable option. Previously, Poirier had expressed interest in being the backup fighter for the matchup at UFC 284, consisting of the same lineup.
Dustin Poirier could have become the challenger had he won his bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 291. Poirier had unsuccessfully challenged for the undisputed title twice in his career. Both times, he lost the bout via submission. At the moment, he remains far away from a title shot.
Volkanovski represents the biggest possible fight as of now, even more than Oliveira for some fans. Though both are rematches, Volkanovski is on a course to become a two-division UFC champion. His first attempt at UFC 284 failed with a unanimous decision loss against Makhachev. The fight became controversial as many, including Joe Rogan, thought Volk won. ESPN had Volkanovski ranked #1 pound-for-pound in the world. Makhachev was #2 at the time.
Nate Diaz reacts to Charles Oliveira’s UFC 294 withdrawal with a taunting Dustin Poirier Comparison
With mere days until the bout, the UFC 294 has undergone a significant change. During Dana White’s press conference, he confirmed that Charles Oliveira had to withdraw due to a training injury. The UFC brought in Alexander Volkanovski as a replacement. On X, Nate Diaz called out Oliveira for not making it to the fight.
Detailed images of Oliveira’s injury surfaced online, showing a very sizeable cut above his eye. This forced Oliveira to pull out of the rematch. Diaz’s tweet compared the canceled fight with Poirier to mock Oliveira. Poirier was booked to fight Diaz at UFC 230 in 2018 before he pulled out due to an injury. Poirier had to withdraw from his matchup, similar to how Oliveria pulled out.
Diaz and Poirier have tussled and challenged each other openly before. The matter went far enough that Diaz took an authoritarian role and scolded the promotion for not giving them the match. Diaz has often taken to social media to promote his stance on the fight. But in 2022, the fight fell sooner than it began.
In case you missed it:
- “Just like Dustin Poirier” – Nate Diaz takes unwarranted shot at ‘crotch injured’ Charles Oliveira for pulling out of UFC 294
- “Don’t know sh**” – Nate Diaz silences critics for Jake Paul loss after hearing earful from Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and other rivals
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Nidhin Shibu
(2536 Articles Published)