Naturally, UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier inquired with his promoter whether he was needed to headline UFC 223. With Tony Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) taking an unexpected slip, Poirier (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) had the gym time and willingness to gamble on a sudden title shot. “An opportunity pops up like this, of course, I want to throw my name in there, and I feel like I’ve been busting my ass,” Poirier told MMAjunkie Radio. “But what I was told is, basically, they would be fixing one problem and creating two more.” Related Dustin Poirier: Justin Gaethje fight at UFC on FOX 29 'can be as hard or as easy as I make it' As it turned out, the UFC wanted an unattached fighter to fill in for the injured Ferguson. With Poirier already booked to face Justin Gaethje (18-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC on FOX 29, the promotion tapped featherweight champ Max Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) to face Khabib Nurmagomedov (25-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in the lightweight title fight Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Poirier isn’t too bent out of shape about the turn of events.
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Dustin Poirier cool without UFC 223 opportunity, wants to earn title old fashioned way – MMA Junkie