Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Dustin Poirier (red gloves) defeats Michael Chandler (blue gloves) during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

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Is Dustin Poirier Fighting Paddy Pimblett? Dana White Clarifies The Status Of The Fight

Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Dustin Poirier (red gloves) defeats Michael Chandler (blue gloves) during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

The lightweight division has always been the UFC‘s crown jewel, producing some of the most memorable matchups in the sport’s history. From BJ Penn’s dominance to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s undefeated reign, and now Islam Makhachev’s technical mastery, the 155-pound weight class continues to generate buzz with every potential matchup. Recently, the MMA world has been buzzing with rumors of a possible showdown between veteran contender Dustin Poirier and rising star Paddy Pimblett.

Poirier, coming off a submission loss to champion Islam Makhachev, has been looking for an opponent that would be his swan song. Meanwhile, Pimblett, the charismatic Scouser who’s been steadily climbing the ranks, sees Poirier as his ticket to the division’s elite. However, UFC president Dana White has now given his verdict on this.

Also Read: UFC Analysis: Is This The End Of The Road For Israel Adesanya?

Dana White Sets The Record Straight

Dana White’s response to the matchmaking rumors was characteristically direct. During the UFC Saudi Arabia post-fight press conference, the UFC president made it clear that while Pimblett vs. Poirier might be an interesting matchup on paper, it’s not something they are currently working on.

“I don’t know. Off the top of my head, I don’t know what we are doing with Paddy right now.”

This isn’t entirely surprising given the vast difference in their rankings and experience levels. Dustin Poirier, a former interim champion with wins over McGregor, Gaethje, and Holloway, typically faces only the division’s elite. Meanwhile, Paddy Pimblett is still building his resume, though his star power often makes people forget he’s relatively new to the UFC’s lightweight shark tank.

Paddy Pimblett’s Bold Claims About Poirier vs. Makhachev

After UFC 302 main event fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier, Pimblett had some thoughts to share. He wasn’t impressed by Makhachev’s dominant submission victory over Poirier. The D’Arce choke was one of the best submissions of the year. But, the Liverpool native didn’t think so.

Paddy Pimblett took to his YouTube channel claiming he would have submitted Poirier even faster than the champion did. This comes from a fighter who, while undefeated in the UFC, hasn’t faced anyone in the top 10 yet. His confidence comes from his quick submission of Bobby Green. Pimblett believed that this submission was heaps and bounds better than the D’Arce choke by Makhachev, and Dustin Poirier was an opponent prone to submissions (kind of true!)

The Landscape Of The Lightweight Division

The reality is that the lightweight division is too stacked for this matchup to make immediate sense. Poirier remains a top at #4, despite his recent loss, while Pimblett, #12, needs a few more wins before jumping into the deep end.

The UFC has traditionally been careful with building up their potential stars, though sometimes fan interest can accelerate these plans. Remember when they fast-tracked Darren Till only to see him suffer setbacks? They might try to avoid a similar situation with another Liverpool favorite.

(Image Credit: Jessica Alcheh – Imagn Images)

Dana White

Dustin Poirier

Paddy Pimblett

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!