Dustin Poirier agrees to January fight with Nate Diaz just days after failing to win UFC lightweight title

The pair, who were first scheduled to go head-to-head in 2019, exchanged words on Twitter

Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz have verbally agreed to fight one another in the coming weeks, exchanging words on Twitter just days after Poirier failed to win the UFC lightweight title.

The “Diamond” was defeated by 155lbs champion Charles Oliveira in the third round of Saturday’s main event at UFC 269, tapping out to a rear naked choke – the same hold to which the American submitted in 2019, when he failed to dethrone then-title holder Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Poirier, 32, entered his bout with Nurmagomedov as interim lightweight champion, an accolade that still marks the high point of the southpaw’s career as he again came up short in his bid to win the undisputed belt at the weekend.

With his next move unclear, former featherweight Poirier has been linked to a number of different opponents at lightweight and welterweight, and Diaz took to Twitter to call out the Louisianan.

“I’ll fight Dp in January, don’t be a scared lil b***c this time, now or never,” Diaz wrote, referencing the pair’s cancelled 2019 clash.

Poirier quickly replied, “I’ll fight you this month,” to which Diaz said: “[You’re] full of s***.”

The “Diamond” again responded in quick fashion, writing: “[I’m] serious bro.”

Mixed martial arts journalist Ariel Helwani subsequently tweeted: “Both @NateDiaz209 and @DustinPoirier are legitimately serious about fighting each other next month, I’m told.

“Both would accept the fight right away for January.”

Poirier’s suggestion of fighting Diaz this month was never likely to come to fruition, with the final UFC card of the year taking place this Saturday.

The 32-year-old’s defeat by Oliveira was his first since losing to Nurmagomedov, with the American having outpointed Dan Hooker in June 2020 in a fight of the year contender before twice beating Conor McGregor this year.

Poirier handed the Irishman the first knockout loss of his career by stopping McGregor in the second round this January, before “Notorious” broke his leg at the end of the first round of the rivals’ trilogy bout in July.