Poirier Claims to Have Accepted Short-Notice UFC 294 Booking Offer Against Makhachev
While Alexander Volkanovski was lauded for stepping up on short notice to face Islam Makhachev for the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title at UFC 294, it seems he was not the only contender who accepted the offer.
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“So, I get back to my condo, I’m unpacking my bags and my phone rings. I see it’s Hunter, and I’m all jacked up on Celsius. I answer the phone, let’s go. I said, ‘What perfect timing. This is how life works.’ I just landed in Florida. My whole team is here, my coaches are in town, this happened for a reason. He asked me my weight, and I [told him I] can make the weight in 11 days, no problem. I thought that was it. He told me [to] give him one day.”
“So, the next day I didn’t hear back. I’m like, ‘Hey, bro, I said, yes, let’s go I got my team here, let’s book these flights. I need to get out there ASAP.’ Then he kept quiet for a while, and then all the news started breaking. But he didn’t tell me, ‘Hey, you’re the guy.’ He asked me if I would do it. I said yes, he told me to give him one day, and I guess he was waiting on Alexander to commit.”
Currently ranked No. 3 at lightweight, Poirier is coming off a Round 2 knockout loss against Justin Gaethje in July at UFC 291, when the two squared off for the BMF Belt. The 34-year-old is 1-2 in his last three fights, which include a failed title bid against Oliveira followed by a submission win over Michael Chandler in an iconic battle last November at UFC 281.
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