Dustin Poirier says UFC matchmakers told him to move on from Nate Diaz

UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier has been chasing a fight against Nate Diaz for months, but now he’s finally decided to move on.

Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Poirier said that UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard told him that Diaz and his camp have not responded to their requests for him to fight Poirier, and have told “The Diamond” to move on.

“Obviously I was trying to get the Nate fight for a while, but we’ve recently decided to leave that alone. He’s not fighting,” Poirier said.

“I spoke with Mick and Sean when I was in Houston for (UFC 247). They told me they offered him a fight and I recently spoke again to Sean and he told me it’s time to move on. They said the Diaz camp isn’t responding. I don’t want to keep chasing that guy. If he’s not taking fights then I have to move on.”

When Poirier called out Diaz, he said that he would fight him at welterweight. Poirier admitted that he’s probably better suited to continue fighting at 155lbs, but he’s interested in moving up to 170lbs for the right fight.

“I’m probably a better fit at 155lbs but I wouldn’t mind fighting at 170lbs if the opportunity is a fun one or a big one, that’s for sure,” Poirier said.

“I just want to be excited to go in there and fight, man.”

Poirier also admitted that a rematch against Conor McGregor, who knocked him out back in 2014, would be another fight of interest, but he doubts McGregor would fight him. For now, he will just wait and see who the UFC matchmakers offer him next, and he’s hoping to fight in April or May. He just wants it to be an exciting fight when he does step back into the cage.

Who would you like to see Dustin Poirier fight next if the Nate Diaz fight is off the table?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/17/2020.