It didn’t take long for Islam Makhachev to get a response from Dustin Poirier after calling for his next challenger.
With almost every top-ranked fighter in the 155-pound division booked for a fight, it seems the No.2-ranked Poirier is free and eager for a scrap with Makhachev, the UFC lightweight champion.
After the 31-year-old Dagestani stifled Alexander Volkanovski’s bid to become a two-division champion at UFC 284, many believed their closely contested fight justified an immediate rematch.
However, Islam Makhachev seems to have other plans and recently posted a tweet calling for an opponent to challenge him:
“Who is next?”
In response to this callout, Dustin Poirier decided to chime in, indicating his intention to be Makahchev’s next opponent:
“What’s up.”
The UFC lightweight champion is fresh off his first title defense against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. While he couldn’t secure his desired pound-for-pound No.1 spot, Makhachev proved his mettle in a five-round war against the featherweight king.
Meanwhile, ‘The Diamond’ is coming off an impressive submission win against Michael Chandler at UFC 281.
While many have questioned whether Poirier should get another title shot, almost all of the high-ranked lightweights have been booked. With Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev free, it remains to be seen if the 34-year-old American will get the opportunity.
If he does, it would mark Poirier’s second title fight against a Dagestani, having fallen short against Makhachev’s mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019.
Alexander Volkanovski pleads for rematch against Islam Makhachev
Alexander Volkanovski isn’t over his loss to Islam Makhachev. The Australian lost the decision in a closely contested fight at UFC 284 and has been calling for a rematch ever since. ‘The Great’ also claimed that he believes he won the second, fourth, and fifth rounds of their bout and wants to run it back immediately.
Responding to the same tweet posted by the 31-year-old Dagestani, the featherweight champion wrote:
“Let’s run it back and give the people what they want! @MAKHACHEVMMA”
Read the tweet below:
Islam Makhachev did not rule out the possibility of a rematch immediately after the fight.
The Australian gave the Dagestani grappling phenom the toughest challenge of his career to date. Despite being the underdog going into the fight, Volkanovski held his own for five rounds and shocked viewers with his wrestling and takedown defense.
Even though Makhachev won the bout, he was denied the pound-for-pound No.1 ranking.