Dustin Poirier Prefers McGregor over Nurmagomedov As Future Foe ‘If I Can Get a Cut of the PPV’

Dustin Poirier’s victory over Eddie Alvarez in the UFC on Fox 30 headliner on Saturday night has him sitting pretty in the lightweight division.

In fact, Poirier could be next in line for a title shot once the promotion figures out if and when it can finally book reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov against Conor McGregor. Now that McGregor’s legal troubles are largely behind him, the path has been cleared for title fight negotiations to progress.

Whether Poirier sits on the sidelines and waits for a title shot or takes another bout in the interim depends on how quickly things come together between Nurmagomedov and McGregor.

“I’m not 100 percent sure, we’ve got to see the timeframe. It’s a crazy, crazy sport. It might be two completely different guys fighting for that title in October, you never know,” Poirier said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “This last year has been insane. Hopefully that fight comes together. I’m not planning on taking a year off. I’m hitting my stride right now, I’m in my prime.

“So I do want I title shot. I feel like I’ve earned it; I’m next. I’ve paid my dues year after year in this gritty game. We’ll see. I don’t know that timeframe.”

Poirier lost to McGregor via first-round technical knockout in a featherweight bout at UFC 178 in September 2014. Still, “The Diamond” would have to favor Nurmagomedov in that particular matchup.

“If it’s ended in the first two rounds I think Conor [wins],” he said. “If it goes past two I think Khabib. It’s a tough one to say, but if I had to bet on it I’d probably go with Khabib.”

However, if Poirier is getting his pick of who he’d rather face with a title on the line, one opponent makes far more financial sense than the other.

“They’re both tough fights, very different fights,” Poirier said in a separate interview on FS1. “If I get a cut of pay-per-view, I want to fight Conor.”

Another scenario involves being ready if either Nurmagomedov or McGregor is injured after the fight is announced. It’s not the most ideal situation, but Poirier expects that he will be ready if such an opportunity was presented.

“I don’t plan on getting crazy out of shape or anything like that,” Poirier said. “I’m going to get back in the gym, work on some stuff. I have a bunch of buddies fighting in a couple months back in Louisiana, so I want to help them get ready. I’ll be around, but in a perfect world, which this is not, I would have a full camp and get a fair shake at a title shot.”