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Dustin Poirier hasn't been inside the Octagon since September 2019, where he competed for the Undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Walking in, he was the Interim Champion and was defeated by Khabib Nurmagomedov in their unification bout. He put on a great fight and earned the respect of Nurmagomedov, but it wasn't enough to dethrone the Russian Champion.
Poirier has since sat on the sidelines with an injury but has been expected to return around March or April 2020.
Talking to MMA Junkie, Poirier revealed his goals going forward this year
“My ultimate goal is to become the undisputed world champion,” Poirier said. “I cannot just go on with my career chasing big fights or just exciting fights. Those are the things I want to be part of.
He says that it's his intention to have the most exciting fights and "Fight of the Night" as often as he can, but he doesn't want an asterisk next to his name and be known as the "Former Interim Champion". He revealed that his goal is to fight thrice in 2020:
“I want to fight three times in 2020. That’s my goal. Whether that’s April, May – whatever that is,” he said. “I want to fight three times this year. I’m just waiting on the call. I’m feeling good, getting my weight down, getting my technique sharp, and I want to fight in April.
He believes that ending the year with a title shot is a realistic target and he's just a couple of fights away.
“Either the world champion or closing the year out with a title shot – that’s realistic. I’m No. 2 (in the UFC’s rankings). Maybe one or two big fights, big wins away from another crack at it. Of course, every time I get beat out there I want to avenge those losses. I’m sure every fighter does. It’s not much about the revenge. It’s about the gold. Whoever has that, that’s the fight I want"
Check out the latest UFC Rankings here.
One thing is for sure, the 155-pound division is going to be a lot more exciting with The Diamond in it.
