Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier looks set to fight again, and there's a select few names he sees as suitable opponents.
Retirement was among the most prominent talking points leading into Poirier's third shot at the undisputed throne last month at UFC 302, where Newark's Prudential Center played host to his enthralling battle with Islam Makhachev.
"The Diamond" hinted pre-fight that it could mark his farewell win or lose, and his Octagon interview in the aftermath of being submitted in the fifth and final round suggested it was the end of a memorable career.
But in the weeks since, Poirier has had somewhat of a change of heart, revealing that he's actually leaning toward another appearance in the cage in an attempt to exit the sport on a win.
And by the sounds of it, "The Diamond" has a small group of possible foes in mind...
Poirier's Next Opponent 'Definitely' On Anik Shortlist
During a recent appearance on the Anik & Florian Podcast, Poirier further addressed talk of his retirement and the potential for one final fight post-title defeat to Makhachev.
After the Islam fight, when I got back home, I thought like, 'Maybe this is it.' And then a few weeks went by, injuries started hurting less and less post-fight, and I was like, 'I gotta do this again.' I've never lost two in a row. I can't leave this sport on a loss," Poirier said. "But at the same time, I wanna be 100 percent in it if I'm gonna do it again because I don't want to disrespect the sport.
And with close to confirmation that "The Diamond" will indeed feel the Octagon canvas beneath his feat at least one more time, Anik presented a list of potential opponents for the Louisianan.
Poirier was asked whether he expects his next rival to come from a shortlist of seven major names — Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, Alexander Volkanovski, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Colby Covington.
100 percent," Poirier said. "Yeah, for sure. If I do fight again, and when I do fight again, it'll be definitely one of those guys you just said.
Poirier has direct history with all but former featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski, having already fought McGregor, Gaethje, Holloway, and Oliveira, trained with Covington before his bitter split from American Top Team, and had a previously booked showdown with Diaz fall through.
It remains to be seen which big name will get the call for what could be "The Diamond's" farewell. But whoever it is, the matchup will no doubt be highly anticipated should it come from that seven-figure list.
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