Dustin Poirier emerged victorious in an all-out war with Michael Chandler at UFC 282 on Saturday night and now he’s set his sights on Beneil Dariush next.
“That’s one that makes a lot of sense,” Poirier said at the post-fight press conference. “Beneil’s earned his stripes and put away some tough guys, and been looking great doing it.
“We’ll see, I’m not against it. It’s ultimately up to the UFC and my time frame — when I want to return. That’s what it comes down to.
“I think it’s a great matchup. I think he deserves a top matchup.”
Poirier is currently ranked No.2 in the lightweight division, once place behind Charles Oliveira, who defeated him by submission in their title clash late last year.
As for Dariush, he’s now ranked No.4 in the division after an assured win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280. That takes his current winning streak to eight fights, so as Poirier alluded to it certainly makes sense for him to have a major fight next that could open up a path to title contention if he emerges victorious.
The other option for Poirier at this stage would be the No.3 ranked Justin Gaethje, but ‘The Diamond’ already holds a 2018 TKO victory over him, so while that would still be a highly entertaining and competitive rematch, wanting to fight a new opponent on a winning streak like Dariush is understandable.
