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.

The promotion was left scrambling after Makhachev’s scheduled opponent, Charles Oliveira, pulled out due to a severe cut suffered in sparring on Oct. 10, just 11 days before the fight. The next day, it was announced that Oliveira had been replaced by featherweight champ Volkanovski, but in the meantime, the UFC had apparently been weighing its options, as former interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier (29-8) claims he received a call from UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell around the same time asking if he could make weight on short notice. According to “The Diamond,” he agreed and was very excited at the possibility, though Campbell didn’t give him any assurances. Poirier never received the call back as he believes the Las Vegas-based promotion was just waiting on Volkanovski to commit. The Louisiana native recently told MMA Fighting:

“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.