Dustin Poirier still isn’t particularly interested in a fight with Colby Covington, no matter what his former American Top Team teammate has to say.
Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) had already made it clear prior to Covington’s venomous callout at UFC 272 earlier this month that he wouldn’t give the matchup serious consideration. It appears nothing has changed after Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) attacked Poirier and his family on the microphone following his victory over Jorge Masvidal in their main event grudge match.
“It’s cute,” Poirier told ESPN backstage during Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 203 event. “It’s all good. It is what it is. People want big fights. That’s a big fight. He wants big fights. Obviously he’s not in line for the title fight. He lost twice to the champ, so he probably needs a few more wins. But I would think if you want to get back to that strap you have to fight welterweight contenders. I don’t now what I’m doing, if I’m going to welterweight, if I’m staying at 155. We’ll see. But it is what it is.”
Poirier, 33, is coming off a submission loss to lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 in December. He’s since been angling for a fight with Nate Diaz, which remains his top priority for an anticipated summer return to the octagon.
“Nate Diaz is a fight I want,” Poirier said. “I’ve been watching him and his brother forever, so it’s exciting for me. It would be a fun matchup for the fans. That’s more likely than the Colby fight.”
Poirier knows there is at least some degree of public desire to see him settle a personal grudge with Covington, 34, but he reinforced his previous notion that he’s not keen to engage in this particular feud.
“It’s working for him,” Poirier said of Covington’s talk. “He’s got people talking. You’re asking me about him. It’s just not my style. That’s what I dislike about the sport nowadays.”
