Poirier open to UFC return for McGregor fourth fight or long-awaited Diaz bout

Dustin Poirier has not closed the door on a UFC comeback, telling One on One MMA that a marquee matchup against Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz could be enough to pull him out of retirement.

Poirier (30-10) stepped away from competition last year following a loss to Max Holloway, ending a lightweight career that included three unsuccessful bids for undisputed UFC gold and a reign as interim champion. Despite the exit, he confirmed he remains under contract with the promotion.

“I’m still under contract with the UFC. There’s definitely a chance; if it’s the right fight, I’ll come back for sure,” Poirier said. “I’d probably fight Conor if that came about. Nate Diaz, I wanna whoop his a** for years and years — we never got to fight.”

McGregor is set to return to the Octagon on July 11 at UFC 329, facing Holloway after a five-year absence. His last outing was a trilogy loss to Poirier in 2021, a fight in which he suffered a broken leg. A fourth meeting between the two would be one of the most commercially significant bouts the UFC could stage.

A Poirier-Diaz fight, meanwhile, has been discussed for years without ever being finalised. Poirier made clear the unfinished business still motivates him.

On the subject of current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje — with whom Poirier is level at one win apiece — he struck a more cautious tone. “Me and Gaethje are one and one. We both know it’s gonna be a head-on collision. We kind of shook hands like, ‘Let’s not do that to our families again,’” he said.

Poirier has spoken openly about struggling to adjust to life away from competition, saying he misses fighting. His retirement period has not been without turbulence: he was recently arrested at an airport after allegedly threatening a police officer while intoxicated and directing a racial slur at the officer.