Following his loss against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 this past weekend, Dustin Poirier hinted at a possible retirement but UFC legend Chael Sonnen believes otherwise.
Dustin Poirier was looking to finally realize undisputed UFC gold in what was his third attempt, but unfortunately for ‘The Diamond’, Islam Makhachev showcased his complete skillset, submitting him in round five.
Even before the fight, the Louisianan hinted that it could be his final outing depending on the result, questioning what else there is left to fight for if he was once again unsuccessful in winning the title.
Following the blockbuster fight, the 35-year-old continued with that thought process, despite having put on a very competitive fight against the current pound-for-pound number one.
Chael Sonnen makes surprising suggestion for Poirier’s next fight
Although the former UFC interim lightweight champion has hinted at possible retirement, he hasn’t made an official decision as of yet.
UFC legend, Chael Sonnen, believes ‘The Diamond’ is done to some extent, but not fully done with fighting. Sonnen suggested that Poirier is done with fighting at 155lbs, and should move up to 170lbs for his next fight.
Not only that, but the 47-year-old has even suggested a possible opponent for Poirier’s possible welterweight debut.
“No, Dustin is not done,” claimed Sonnen in his recent YouTube video. “He is saying goodbye and he is done, with 155lbs,” he added.
“I’m bringing you that piece of news because Dustin is very unlikely to call somebody out, but that somebody is out there, he’s at 170lbs, his name is Colby Covington, that’s the fight, that’s the one that’s waiting,” Sonnen claimed.
Colby Covington last fought at UFC 296 against Leon Edwards, also coming up short in what was his third attempt at winning an undisputed UFC title.
Fellow welterweight contender, Ian Machado Garry relentlessly campaigned for a fight against ‘Chaos’ at UFC 303, but Covington turned down the offers.
Dustin Poirier and Colby Covington have a historic feud
Although Sonnen’s suggestion may come as quite a surprise, there is a history between Poirier and Covington, meaning a potential fight between the two could now finally make sense.
‘Chaos’ Covington and the Louisianan used to be teammates at American Top Team before Covington was removed from the gym back in 2020.
Since then, the 36-year-old has made it clear that he blames ‘The Diamond’ for being removed from ATT, claiming that Poirier made complaints about him which resulted in his removal.
Of course, Covington went on to have a longstanding feud with Poirier’s teammate, Jorge Masvidal, and following his win over ‘Gamebred’, Covington called for a fight against Poirier, but the lightweight wasn’t interested.
With both fighters now being in different situations, a settlement of their feud could make sense, with it potentially being a huge fight because of their continued rivalry.