Former UFC superstar Nate Diaz attacked Dustin Poirier for refusing to fight Paddy Pimblett for his looming retirement bout.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is weeks away from what will likely be his final appearance in the Octagon. While a date, venue, and opponent aren’t set as of this writing, Poirier is planning on fighting on another big platform before hanging up the gloves.
After falling to UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 last June, Poirier admitted he was ‘probably’ at the end of his career. Poirier seemed content on calling it a career before having second thoughts about one last memory made in the cage.
Poirier’s superstardom will set him up for a big fight with another top name before retiring. Former UFC lightweight title foe Charles Oliveira is a potential option for Poirier after Oliveira won their first fight at UFC 269.
Justin Gaethje is another possibility to complete his trilogy with Poirier before the two fan favorites go their separate ways. Gaethje knocked out Poirier with a head kick for the then-vacant BMF belt at UFC 291.
With Gaethje booked for UFC 313, another proposed option is Paddy Pimblett, who defeated King Green at UFC 304 in his last fight. But Poirier quickly shut down the possibility of facing Pimblett, saying his final fight would be a ‘legends only’ showcase.
After seeing Poirier’s comments, Nate Diaz blasted his one-time booked opponent in a social media post.
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Nate Diaz jabs ‘p—-‘ Dustin Poirier after dismissing Paddy Pimblett
Diaz targeted Poirier in a recent message on his Instagram story.
“Fight Paddy p—-, he better than you,” Diaz posted on his Instagram story.
This is far from the first time that Diaz and Poirier have exchanged barbs since they were originally scheduled to meet in the Octagon at UFC 230 before Poirier withdrew due to a hip injury. Diaz remains on Poirier’s radar for a possible fight, despite Diaz parting ways with the UFC in 2022.
Diaz split from the UFC after a main event win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. He was originally supposed to face Khamzat Chimaev before a botched weight cut demoted Chimaev from the main event slot.
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Nate Diaz isn’t ruling out a UFC return
Since his UFC release, Diaz has fought twice in the boxing ring, falling to Jake Paul in his debut and defeating former BMF foe Jorge Masvidal last year. As of this writing, a timeline for Diaz’s combat sports return is uncertain, but he’s long teased a potential return to the UFC.
Poirier hasn’t responded to Diaz yet but could do so soon. Before losing to Makhachev last year, Poirier got back in the win column by finishing Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 last March.
While Pimblett is a UFC fan favorite, a showdown with Poirier isn’t likely to happen for the latter’s retirement fight. As for Diaz, he continues to poke Poirier after their UFC 230 showdown didn’t come to fruition.
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