Michael Chiesa has shared his ideal matchmaking strategy for Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, and several other lightweight stars.
Poirier and McGregor took center stage last weekend, colliding in the main event of UFC 257. The bout was a rematch of a 2014 featherweight fight that McGregor won by knockout, but this time around, Poirier evened the score with a second-round TKO win.
Speaking on MMA Fighting‘s What the Heck podcast, Chiesa shared his thoughts on what should be next for Poirier, McGregor, and other lightweight stars like Nate Diaz, Justin gaethje, Dan Hooker, Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler.
He’s hoping to see a trilogy fight between Poirier and McGregor, a contender clash between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, and a fight between Dan Hooker and Nate Diaz.
“I would like to see Nate vs. Dustin, but that doesn’t make any sense at all,” Chiesa, one of the UFC’s top welterweights, said. “That would be a slap in the face to some of the guys coming off of wins. When it comes to the title picture, that can get overlooked. We’ve seen Yoel Romero get title shots off of losses and things of that sort, but I think you have to keep the ball rolling with the trilogy. I think you have to do Dustin and Conor.
“If it was up to me, I would get Nate Diaz vs. Poirier, and then I’d go Gaethje vs. Conor,” Chiesa added. “You’re always going to have the Nate Diaz trilogy with Conor. That’s gonna be there for life. Those fights were in a totally separate weight class so no matter how their careers go, you can make that happen at any point. But you can’t guarantee that Conor beats another contender. He has great skills but this is a very tough division. Don’t risk losing the option for this Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor trilogy. I think you make that one next.
“Then you do Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira, and then you can do Dan Hooker vs. Nate Diaz,” Chiesa concluded. “I think that’s what makes the most sense.”
Michael Chiesa, one of the UFC’s top welterweights, is currently riding a win over Neil Magny. He also moonlights as an analyst for the promotion. What do you think of his matchmaking suggestions?