Kamaru Usman becomes the latest to welcome “Fantastic fight” against Dustin Poirier after UFC 302

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is open to a potential clash with Dustin Poirier if Poirier decides not to retire just yet.

Poirier fell short against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 on Saturday in Newark. His third lineal UFC title shot didn’t result in a gold belt, but it was an impressive showing from the star fighter nevertheless.

Poirier hinted in his post-fight Octagon interview and media availability that he’s leaning towards retirement. He explained that he didn’t want to fight for the sake of it, and a big name would have to entice him to another comeback bout.

Usman, who hasn’t fought since a short-notice middleweight bout against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, is willing to meet Poirier at 170lbs.

Kamaru Usman vs. Dustin Poirier?

In a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman entertained a potential clash with Poirier.

“If he wants to go up, hey, that’s a fun fight!” Usman said. “If I was ever to compete against a guy like Dustin Poirier, that would be a fantastic one, because it’s a guy that I could really respect through and through the process…it’s like you and your main training partner and you just like ‘Yeah, we’re going to beat each other up! We’re going to push each other to the brink!’.”

Usman isn’t the only former titleholder to pitch a potential clash against Poirier. Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski also called out Poirier as he ponders his next move.

Before the loss to Makhachev at UFC 302, Poirier knocked out Benoît Saint-Denis at UFC 299 in March. He bounced back after a head-kick knockout loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 last July.

If Poirier wants at least one more clash to pursue at a new weight class, Usman is willing to oblige, and ‘The Diamond’ might not hang up the gloves just yet.