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 is going to likely be his final appearance within the Octagon. While a date, venue, and opponent aren’t set as of this writing, Poirier is planning on fighting on one other 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 top of his profession. Poirier seemed content on calling it a profession before having second thoughts about one last memory made within the cage.
Poirier’s superstardom will set him up for a giant fight with one other top name before retiring. Former UFC lightweight title foe Charles Oliveira is a possible option for Poirier after Oliveira won their first fight at UFC 269.
Justin Gaethje is one other possibility to finish his trilogy with Poirier before the 2 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, one other proposed option is Paddy Pimblett, who defeated King Green at UFC 304 in his last fight. But Poirier quickly shut down the potential of facing Pimblett, saying his final fight can be a ‘legends only’ showcase.
After seeing Poirier’s comments, Nate Diaz blasted his one-time booked opponent in a social media post.
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 higher than you,” Diaz posted on his Instagram story.
This is way from the primary time that Diaz and Poirier have exchanged barbs since they were originally scheduled to fulfill within the Octagon at UFC 230 before Poirier withdrew as a consequence of a hip injury. Diaz stays on Poirier’s radar for a possible fight, despite Diaz parting ways with the UFC in 2022.
Diaz split from the UFC after a foremost event win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. He was originally speculated to face Khamzat Chimaev before a botched weight cut demoted Chimaev from the foremost event slot.
Nate Diaz isn’t ruling out a UFC return
Since his UFC release, Diaz has fought twice within the boxing ring, falling to Jake Paul in his debut and defeating former BMF foe Jorge Masvidal last 12 months. As of this writing, a timeline for Diaz’s combat sports return is uncertain, but he’s long teased a possible return to the UFC.
Poirier hasn’t responded to Diaz yet but could accomplish that soon. Before losing to Makhachev last 12 months, Poirier got back within the win column by ending Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 last March.
While Pimblett is a UFC fan favorite, a showdown with Poirier isn’t prone to occur for the latter’s retirement fight. As for Diaz, he continues to poke Poirier after their UFC 230 showdown didn’t come to fruition.
