Reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former champion Conor McGregor were expected to appear in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today to face the music for their infamous UFC 229 post-fight brawl. Unfortunately, both fighters were granted continuances, meaning they will not be disciplined until at least January 29. In other words, neither man is going to be fighting for quite some time.
For top lightweight contenders like Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson, this is understandably frustrating new. Luckily, Poirier has a solution that the fans will surely love.
He’s suggesting that he and Ferguson fight while we wait for Nurmagomedov and McGregor to return.
Dustin Poirier made this suggestion on Twitter on Monday — and made sure to let the UFC know how he feels about the state of the popular division while he was at it.
Just woke up and read theres gonna be more waiting around at the top of the lightweight division…
Let's give the fans the violence they deserve @TonyFergusonXT
Let's go @ufc !!! Stop holding up my weight class!
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 10, 2018
“Just woke up and read theres gonna be more waiting around at the top of the lightweight division,” Dustin Poirier wrote on Twitter. “Let’s give the fans the violence they deserve Tony Ferguson. Let’s go UFC !!! Stop holding up my weight class!”
Dustin Poirier last fought in July, when he defeated his long-time rival Eddie Alvarez by second-round TKO. With this win, he extended his current streak to four straight, and improved to 8-1 since returning in the lightweight division in 2015. In this time, he’s also bested top flight foes such as Yancy Medeiros, Joe Duffy, Bobby Green, Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, and Justin Gaethje. He’s currently 24-5 overall.
Tony Ferguson, meanwhile, is currently 24-3 in sum. He’s presently on a fantastic 11-fight win-streak composed of triumphs over names like Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee, Rafael dos Anjos, Lando Vannata, Edson Barboza and Josh Thomson.
UFC President Dana White recently suggested that he hoped to pit Khabib Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson, and Conor McGregor against Dustin Poirier. With Nurmagomedov and McGregor currently tied up, however, a Ferguson vs. Poirier fight could be just what the lightweight division needs. What do you think?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 12/10/2018.