Dustin Poirier answers if he would like to test his jiu-jitsu with Islam Makhachev

Dustin Poirier is currently the No.2 ranked lightweight fighter in the UFC. 'The Diamond' could fight current champion Islam Makhachev if he manages to win a fight or two.

Makhachev is currently slated to put his title on the line against reigning undisputed featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.

A possible fight against Makhachev will be his second against a Dagestani fighter for 'El Diamante' since fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242.

Though Dustin Poirier had a few moments on the feet and put 'The Eagle' in a tight guillontine choke in the third round in the title unification bout, he was eventually outgrappled and submitted via rear naked choke in the same round.

In an interview with BroBible, he was asked whether he'd like to test his jiu-jitsu against Islam Makhachev, to which Poirier said that he'd prefer to keep the fight standing.

Skip to 4:20 for the query:

Here's what Dustin Poirier said:

"No [I would not like to test his jiu-jitsu], I would like to test my hands [on him]. But, we'll see what happens, man. We'll see what happens."

In the lead-up to the title fight at UFC 280, Islam Makhachev questioned Poirier's abilities as a jiu-jitsu black belt in an interview with Daniel Cormier. After Poirier's submission win over Michael Chandler at UFC 281, Poirier gave the following reply in his post-fight speech:

"Hey! Who ain't got jiu-jitsu?"

Check out the post-fight interview below:

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Dustin Poirier gives his take on Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski

In the same interview with BroBible, Dustin Poirier gave his thoughts on the UFC 284 lightweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski. 'The Diamond' said that although Volkanovski is a bit undersized for the 155-pound division, he can manage to pull off the win.

Here's what Poirier said:

"I think Volk's going to be a little undersized at 155 pounds, but he could still win it. He could still get it done, you know, he's beat some great 145-ers. [He] beat Max Holloway a few times, so we'll see. But, I think he's just going to be a little undersized compared to Islam. Islam's big, solid [and] strong, you know?"

On being asked if he'd be willing to be the back-up fighter for the title fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski provided the money was right, Poirier said the following:

"I would never say never, but they haven't reached out yet."

Dustin Poirier hasn't been booked for a fight in 2023. However, he may possibly serve as a replacement if either Volkanovski or Makhachev can't make it to the fight. UFC 284 is scheduled to take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on February 12, 2023.