Former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier wanted his UFC 281 return to be five rounds.

‘The Diamond’ has been out of action since his clash with Charles Oliveira last December. In the lightweight title bout, Poirier lost by third-round submission. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak which comprised of wins over Conor McGregor and Dan Hooker.

The 33-year-old is set to return to action next month at Madison Square Garden. At UFC 281, Poirier will face rival Michael Chandler in a highly-anticipated showdown. The winner of the matchup is expected to be in the running for a title shot next.

The lightweight encounter will be a three-round fight. That isn’t something that Dustin Poirier really wanted. Instead, the former interim titleholder wanted a five-round affair next month.

The Louisana native discussed his return in an interview with Heavy Sports. There, Poirier revealed he was negotiating for a 25-minute fight. However, his hopes for a five-round fight didn’t pan out and fans will only get a three-round fight on November 12th.

“I really wanted to do a five-round fight,” Poirier said. “Especially for me, I like to get a rhythm and a timing, and I feel like the better fighter. Unless something happens early in one of the first couple of rounds, the better fighter usually wins in the distance.” (h/t MMAJunkie)

He continued, “He’s a former [Bellator] world champion. He’s one of the best 155-pounders in the world, so he’s a very, very tough opponent,” Poirier said. “If it’s Fight of the Year, that means it’s back-and-forth. I’d like it to be clean, one-sided if I could paint the perfect picture.”

He concluded “But I don’t shy away from those fire fights. I’m going to try my best to stay calm under fire and technical, but if he competes to the best of his ability, and I do the same, it could be Fight of the Century.”

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