When Colby Covington called Dustin Poirier out after UFC 272, it prompted speculation as to whether Poirier would move up to 170 pounds. American Top Team coach Mike Brown, who has worked closely with Poirier for years, believes Poirier is not only big enough to fight at welterweight, but he could be even better there than at lightweight.
Brown told MMAFighting that “El Diamante” is struggling to make 155 pounds these days, and might find a higher weight division more comfortable.
Mike Brown: Dustin Poirier Could Be Better at Welterweight Than Lightweight
“He’s plenty big for welterweight. Plenty big, 155 [pounds] is getting real difficult to make. I’m not certain. He could be a better welterweight than a lightweight. Time will tell, but he’s definitely not small for a welterweight.”
Dustin Poirier is currently ranked #2 at lightweight. He strung together a series of impressive wins before ultimately succumbing to a rear naked choke at the hands of lightweight champ Charles Oliveira.
It was Poirier’s second failed title campaign, ending exactly the same way as the first, albeit against the current champ as opposed to Khabib Nurmagomedov. With that in mind, and the twilight years of his MMA career looming, Poirier is looking at 170 pounds as a serious possibility.
“I don’t know if I’m going to make that cut again. I might never fight at 155 pounds again. I don’t know the future. I could have cut a few more pounds. I could have come in at 152 on this fight. My cut went so smooth, I felt great.
But I don’t know if I want to go through that training camp again where I’m hungry everyday and competing in the gym and pushing myself on the low calories. We’ll see, I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Dustin Poirier has been linked with a fight against welterweight fan favorite Nate Diaz for some months now. Nate Diaz, who is currently riding a losing streak, may prove to be the ideal testing ground for Poirier at 170 pounds.
Diaz’s brawling striking style presents a solid challenge for Poirier, whose striking is among the best in the game. However, welterweight is currently dominated by pressure wrestlers like Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
Dustin Poirier, historically, has struggled against high-pressure wrestling. In fact, both of Poirier’s defeats in the past five years came when he was out-grappled, albeit by reigning champions.
How do you think Dustin Poirier will fare at welterweight? Let us know in the comments.
