Ahead of his UFC 257 main event bout against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier has signed a new eight fight contract with the UFC.
Poirier has fought 24 times in the UFC, winning eighteen times and losing five times, with one fight ending in a no contest. He has featured in two title fights, winning the interim UFC lightweight title at UFC 236 by beating Max Holloway via unanimous decision, but losing to champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout at UFC 242.
With his next UFC fight around the corner, the goal for Poirier is to rack up wins, get his hands on the title, and cement his legacy as one of the all time great lightweights. And he has got himself eight more chances to do that.
New Contract
Speaking to Theo Von on his ‘The Past Weekend’ podcast (as transcribed by Report Door), Poirier announced that he has signed a new eight fight contract with the UFC.
“I just signed an eight fight contract with the UFC,” Poirier said. “My plan is to fight eight more times. You know, I want to finish this contract I’m on, fight eight more times. Then we’ll see where we’re at there. But I’m not looking past that or before that. I’m going to fight eight more times.”
Revenge Against McGregor?
Poirier fought McGregor for the first time at UFC 178 in 2014, but he came up short as the Irishman finished him within two minutes of round one. While many believe he has the chance to square things up, revenge is the last thing he is eyeing at UFC 257.
“This isn’t about payback,” Poirier stated. “This isn’t a revenge fight for me. Of course those things are great. I go out there and beat him, those are all part of this storyline. [They’re] things I’m going to think about and be happy with, but that’s not the driving force of each day. I’m driven by the main goal: becoming the world champion, being the best.”
The Main Goal
Poirier’s immediate goal is to beat McGregor to cement his legacy as one of the best lightweight fighters in the world.
“I know that a win over a guy like this, at this point of our careers, it etches my name in the history books—on its own page. I’m in the books. I’m in the honorable mentions right now,” Poirier said. “I’m trying get my own numbered page. I think a win over this guy does that and cements me as a legitimate combat sports professional in a time that’s full of great athletes: Conor, Khabib [Nurmagomedov].
“It’s so much history involved in this fight. The full circle, fighting him again now, becoming the interim champ, switching weight classes. [There’s] so much going into this that I know what a win does not only for me and for my legacy, but for my family, their future financially. I know what comes with a win, and I’m ready to bear that weight at this point in my career.”
Do you think Dustin Poirier can beat Conor McGregor, and go on to become one of the all time great lightweights?
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