Dustin Poirier could consider stepping out of retirement if he were allowed to get into boxing.
Poirier, a former UFC lightweight interim champion, revealed he’d like to lace up the gloves and compete in boxing, but he’s unable to do so due to his current contractual standing with the UFC. “The Diamond” retired in December, but still had several fights left on his UFC contract, which puts a big hurdle on any potential future fights outside the UFC.
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“Man, I still have fights left in my contract with the UFC,” Poirier said on “Deep Waters.” “I’m stuck in purgatory, so I can’t go out and do nothing. And if I could, I don’t even know if I would, but boxing has always been something I wanted to do.”
The UFC does have a sister promotion in the “Sweet Science.” TKO, UFC’s parent company, launched Zuffa Boxing earlier this year, and has since hosted five events at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Although that could be a potential way for Poirier to box while staying within the TKO sphere, the UFC has told Poirier it has no interest in his services or any MMA fighters looking to box.
“Bro, I’ve been down this road before,” Poirier said. “They don’t want any crossover. No. They want to be taken seriously. Plus, if they let one guy do it, every guy and girl on the roster is going to try to do this.”
During the “Deep Waters” stream, a fan suggested Poirier vs. Nate Diaz under Zuffa Boxing, to which Poirier said he’ll “sign the contract here on air.”
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Poirier, 37, retired last December in a BMF championship fight against Max Holloway. He lost that fight by unanimous decision. Poirier is considered one of the biggest stars in MMA today, and also one of the best boxers and punchers in the UFC. He holds knockout wins over Conor McGregor, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Bobby Green, and others.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC contract causing roadblock in Dustin Poirier’s boxing interest
