Dustin Poirier is torn about the idea of fighting Nate Diaz after his performance against Mike Perry at Rousey vs Carano on Netflix.
Diaz (21-14) was battered for almost the entirety of 10 minutes by Perry (15-8) on Saturday before the corner stopped it after Round 2. Afterward, Diaz rejected any calls for retirement and said he won’t walk away “crying” in a shot at Poirier, who hung up his gloves last July.
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Poirier and Diaz have been talking about fighting each other for years. They were officially scheduled in November 2018, but it didn’t happen. Since then, the pair have offered conflicting takes about why it didn’t come to fruition.
“The Diamond” has said the only matchup that would bring him out of retirement is a grudge match with Diaz, and even though he still stands by it, he admits the showing against Perry diminished the appeal.
“We could’ve fought. He knows that. I wish he would be honest with the fans and say that he pulled out or didn’t come to terms with the UFC or whatever it was for the couple times we were supposed to fight that it never happened,” Poirier said on Paramount’s “Deep Waters” podcast. “But, dude, after the way he looked on Saturday night, he can’t talk right now man. You need to take a break. He needs to go get some sleep and some rest, not me. He looked like dog sh*t. He looked horrible. He looked like he didn’t want to be in there, looked like a punching bag. He looked off balance. His timing was horrible. When somebody loses, I don’t like to sh*t on them too hard, but he knows.
“It’s crazy that he’s bringing me up in a post-fight. Apparently he still wants the fight or is thinking about it. It’s just like, after a performance like that, it’s like I’m picking on somebody now if I’m chasing Nate Diaz, the way he looked. It’s like I’m picking on an easy fight, easy win. But, Nate Diaz, I will knock you clean out if we fight.”
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Diaz is once again a free agent following his bout with Perry on Netflix, which was promoted by MVP MMA. He said afterward that he wants to rematch Perry “ASAP,” but if Diaz instead pursues a deal with the UFC, Poirier said he will take the necessary steps to be eligible for competition.
“My invitation is still out there,” Poirier said. “At 170, I’ll go back in the drug test protocol or whatever. I will knock Nate Diaz completely out.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dustin Poirier rips Nate Diaz’s ‘dog sh*t’ performance vs. Mike Perry
