UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier turned down the opportunity to fight for the belt, choosing instead to fight Conor McGregor again.

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vacated the belt last week and retired from MMA, which left the division without a champion. Nurmagomedov’s decision to officially retired led to the promotion booking Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt at UFC 262. Some fans and media were shocked that Poirier wasn’t part of the title fight considering he just knocked out McGregor in his last fight and beat Dan Hooker before that, but now we know that the UFC offered Poirier the title shot first.

Speaking to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, UFC president Dana White confirmed that the UFC offered Poirier the title shot, but he turned it down for the McGregor trilogy instead.

Dana White told me that Dustin Poirier was offered a shot at the lightweight title and decided to pursue the Conor McGregor rematch instead.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 25, 2021

Dana White told me that Dustin Poirier was offered a shot at the lightweight title and decided to pursue the Conor McGregor rematch instead.

Poirier has said in the past that he knows he doesn’t have many years left in what is a young man’s sport, so he’s trying to make as much as he can before he retires, and you can’t blame him for that. Although winning the title would obviously be a great thing, Poirier is choosing instead to fight McGregor for the third time for the big check. Not to mention, beating McGregor a second time would be huge for Poirier’s legacy.

Then again, it’s not often that fighters turn down title shots in the UFC, so Poirier’s decision is going to be met with criticism by some who believe he should have pursued the belt instead of the money fight. Ultimately, it was Poirier’s decision and this is his choice.

Do you think Dustin Poirier made the right call turning down the title shot for the Conor McGregor trilogy?