Dustin Poirier doubles down on callouts of Tony Ferguson, Conor McGregor

Surging UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier was expected to return to the cage opposite Nate Diaz at UFC 230 in early November. Regrettably, the New Orleans native was forced out of this fight with an injury and sidelined for several weeks.

Now back in fighting shape, Dustin Poirier is getting antsy. He wants to fight, and fight soon. But with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor both tied up with imminent Nevada State Athletic Commission punishments, he’s low on viable options.

Luckily, there is one fighter that Poirier is keen to fight: fellow contender Tony Ferguson.

On Monday, Poirier took to Twitter to call out Ferguson and scold the UFC for letting the stacked lightweight division get so jammed up. 

Just woke up and read theres gonna be more waiting around at the top of the lightweight division…

Let's give the fans the violence they deserve @TonyFergusonXT

Let's go @ufc !!! Stop holding up my weight class!

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 10, 2018

“Just woke up and read theres gonna be more waiting around at the top of the lightweight division,” Dustin Poirier wrote on Twitter. “Let’s give the fans the violence they deserve Tony Ferguson. Let’s go UFC !!! Stop holding up my weight class!”

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Poirier doubled down on his callout of Ferguson, and added that he’ll settle for a fight with McGregor if Ferguson wants to hold out for a fight with Nurmagomedov.

“Let’s get this s*** going,” Poirier said. “I’m sick of this. I want to fight Tony and if it’s not Tony, good for Tony, he’s f***ing more than earned his shot at Khabib. He’s definitely next in line for the world championship. He’s ahead of me. I agree. But if that’s not going to happen, let’s let the two best guys who are available go at it. Or let me and Conor go at it.”

Dustin Poirier last fought in July, when he defeated his long-time rival Eddie Alvarez by second-round TKO. With this win, he extended his current streak to four straight, and improved to 8-1 since returning in the lightweight division in 2015. In this time, he’s also bested top flight foes such as Yancy Medeiros, Joe Duffy, Bobby Green, Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, and Justin Gaethje. He’s currently 24-5 overall.

Tony Ferguson, meanwhile, is currently 24-3 in sum. He’s presently on a fantastic 11-fight win-streak composed of triumphs over names like Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee, Rafael dos Anjos, Lando Vannata, Edson Barboza and Josh Thomson.

Conor McGregor last fought in October, when he was submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 229. This was his first mixed martial arts bout since November of 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to capture the lightweight title. He’s 21-4 overall.

Who do you want to see Dustin Poirier fight next?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 12/11/2018.