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Dustin Poirier has claimed that a potential clash against former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler fell through because the offer that the UFC made him for the fight was a "slap in the face".
Initially, Dustin Poirier was scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of UFC 254 on October 24 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, but since Poirier couldn't agree to the terms of the contract he was being offered for the fight, it couldn't come to fruition.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Dustin Poirier said that after the Ferguson talks fell through, the UFC offered him a fight with Chandler, but "The Diamond", after having spent a decade in the UFC, wasn't willing to accept less money than someone who is yet to step inside the Octagon. Poirier said that it felt like "a slap in the face".
"I would never count another man's money, I hope Chandler makes a ton of money in the UFC, but the fact I've been in the UFC for 10 years ... and the guy's going to come in here and make more money than me, I understand it's business, but if you want me to fight that guy, you have to step it up," Poirier said. "That's a slap in the face. I've shed too much blood in the Octagon."
Dustin Poirier is rumored to fight Conor McGregor up next but he hasn't yet been offered a contract for that fight either. However, Dustin Poirier said that he has a hunch that a big fight is around the corner, be it with Conor or Ferguson, and hence, the former interim lightweight champ has headed home to Louisiana to resume training.
"Because the Conor talks, not within the UFC but online, were starting to heat up and things were starting to look like ... I saw Conor bringing in his coaches and starting to train, and also Tony's out there, he wants to fight," Poirier said. "Something is coming. I know. I have a pretty good intuition. I haven't been wrong about things like that in the past. I think Conor wants to fight, and here's an opportunity to fight a guy who's No. 2 in the division. If his goal is to be the world champion, this fight makes a lot of sense."
