Dustin Poirier was aiming to return to the Octagon in January 2020, but his plans may have to be put on hold. ‘The Diamond’ revealed on Twitter that an upcoming hip surgery will impact his anticipated return.

Poirier will be going under the knife to rectify multiple tears in the labrum of his hip. The 30-year old will also have his femur bone reshaped to stop the tears from occurring in future.

The news pushes ‘The Diamond’s’ return date into late February or March.

Looks like I won't be able to fight again until February or March. Gonna be out 6 weeks.

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) October 22, 2019

The former interim lightweight champ last fought in September 2019. He tried to unify his belt at UFC 242 against the current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Dustin Poirier was confident he could be the first fighter to defeat the Russian, but he ultimately was submitted in the third round. The loss ended his four-fight win streak and three-year reign of success.

The disappointment made Poirier consider retirement until he began campaigning for a fight against Conor McGregor. The pair originally squared off in 2014 at UFC 178. His Irish opponent clipped Poirier with a punch and secured a swift TKO victory in the first round.  Despite excitement from many fans, ‘The Notorious’ seemed unimpressed by the possibility of a rematch. Instead, McGregor has his sights set on other opponents including Frankie Edgar.

As a result, ‘The Diamond’ polled fans for a potential opponent. New-Zealand fighter, Dan Hooker also called for a fight against ‘The Diamond’ after he beat Al Iaquinta at UFC 243.

“Dustin Poirier, I’m going to smash your face in,” Hooker said.

“Meet me in New Zealand 2020, and I’m going to end you!”

The callout fell on deaf ears as ‘Diamond’ felt Hooker isn’t ready.

Quit chasing leprechauns, let's scrap.

— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) October 6, 2019

Dan can fight Cowboy… I'm chilling out until something really excites me. Working on my craft

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) October 6, 2019

The Louisiana native will have to deal with his injury and focus on his health before entering the Octagon.

A potential opponent remains uncertain. Who would you like to see Dustin Poirier face next? Sound off in the comments below.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/23/2019.