Dustin Poirier’s win over Benoit Saint-Denis catapulted him straight into title contention at lightweight. Ali Abdelaziz confirmed as much on social media when he said that his client and lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev would be “game” for that fight this summer.
Poirier’s comeback came after Saint-Denis applied heavy pressure and forced clinch exchanges, as well as fast-paced striking. The first round went to Saint-Denis, but Poirier floored the Frenchman in the second round to rebound from his loss to Justin Gaethje.
Ali Abdelaziz Mentions Poirier After Lights-Out Performance
Ali Abdelaziz, who is known to control his fighters’ social media accounts, congratulated Poirier for his win. His client Makhachev did the same, writing, “very impressive Dustin”, with a clapping hands and a diamond emoji.
Abdelaziz laid out the plans for his client via Twitter. He noted that the rest of the top at lightweight have plans for their next bouts. The champion is free for another defense after defeating Alex Volkanovski a few months ago.
“Dustin Poirier took a huge risk tonight and came out on top and looked amazing,” Ali Abdelaziz said. “Dustin vs @MAKHACHEVMMA in June especially since everyone else has fights. If the UFC is good with this then Islam would be game.”
This fight can only make sense if neither Charles Oliveira nor Arman Tsarukyan are ready for a June turnaround after their lightweight title eliminator at UFC 300. Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway also square off on this card, and that may be a permanent move to 155 for Holloway.
This fight looks more likely, as the winner of any fight on UFC 300 would have to turn around on two months, which means that they would have to win relatively injury free. As the nature of the sport goes, that is not always an option for many fighters.
Gaethje’s next fight comes for a title shot if he defeats Holloway. He beat Poirier to solidify his claim to the throne, so bypassing him in favor of the “Diamond” makes little sense. However, UFC brass do stranger things than this.
Ali Abdelaziz’s client has final say, though, so if he does want Poirier, he gets him. Making the fight in June is an interesting, as Ramadan coming from March to April may affect Makhachev’s training.
Only time will tell whether Makhachev fights more than once this year, and Abdelaziz holds the key as far as the direction of his fighter.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
