Even though Dustin Poirier is about to fight Anthony Pettis this weekend, he still wants to know ‘where the f-ck’ Eddie Alvarez is. We all know the story by now, but these scrappers were on their way to Fight of the Night back at UFC 211 and Poirier felt he was on his way to a victory. We were potentially robbed of both by some illegal shots by Eddie Alvarez which made the bout a no contest. The two still have unfinished business, but Poirier driven toward something even bigger: UFC lightweight gold.

“You know, in that fight, everybody who watched it saw I whipped Eddie Alvarez, made him look like an amateur. I mean the guy was two steps behind, couldn’t keep up. And then he kneed me in the back of the head with a shot that was illegal. And in the heat of the moment, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I thought it could’ve been an accident. I thought he might’ve been hurt, you know, and he was in fight mode, survival mode, he was just fighting and he kneed me. I told the crowd in Dallas to stop booing him, stood up for the guy, then he came out on social media talking sh-t, saying I wanted out of the fight.”

“Why would I want out of a fight that I was winning? I just don’t understand. Eddie Alvarez got a title shot with a win over Pettis. Max Holloway got a title shot with a win over Pettis. Unless [the UFC] keeps f*cking me over [I should get the next shot]. I’ve been at this a long time. This will be my 21st fight in the company. I’ve been fighting the best guys. I never turned down a fight and never missed weight. I never make excuses and I show up to fight. Let’s go. Nothing is given in this sport. I’ve been fighting 10 years and I’ve earned every step of the way. I built this with [holds up fists]. Punch by punch, step by step and I’m very proud of it.” — Dustin Poirier speaking to FloCombat. 

With the title picture still chaotic, it’s obvious the UFC is getting plans together for contenders while Conor McGregor negotiations continue. Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Edson Barboza are all in match-ups that could decide who fights Tony Ferguson or McGregor next. Dustin Poirier’s fight with Anthony Pettis at UFC Norfolk could be no different. Either way, they’ll be tons of clashes to book as these following fights play out.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 11/8/2017.