Dustin Poirier claims Nate Diaz has been offered fight

Dustin Poirier has been clamoring for another opportunity to fight Nate Diaz, and from the sounds of it, his wish might just be granted.

Speaking to MMA Junkie recently, Poirier divulged that the UFC has offered Diaz a contact for a 170-pound fight in May or July — though it’s not yet clear if the Stockton, California-based fighter will accept.

.@DustinPoirier says @NateDiaz209 has been offered 170-pound fight dates for May or July.

Question is: Will he put pen to paper? ✍️ pic.twitter.com/T7hNLnIIyp

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) February 10, 2020

“I spoke to [UFC matchmaker] Sean [Shelby] last night,” Poirier said over the weekend. I know that they offered him the fight either in California in May, or International Fight Week [in Las Vegas in July]. We’ll see if he takes it. The offer is out there.”

Poirier and Diaz were briefly scheduled to fight in late 2018. Initially, it was reported that Poirier was forced out of the fight with an injury, but Poirier later claimed that he elected to get surgery when Diaz proved difficult to negotiate with and wouldn’t commit to the fight.

Given the drama surrounding the UFC’s first attempt at making this matchup, you might expect Poirier to be reluctant to sign a contract to fight Diaz. While he sounds a little apprehensive about the bout coming to fruition, he says he expects Diaz to show up if he puts pen to paper.

“Dude, last time was a mess,” Poirier said. “I don’t care what he says. He knows the truth, it was a mess. They were offering me Kevin Lee as a replacement and it just fell apart.

“But if [Diaz] says yes, I expect him to show up.”

Dustin Poirier has not fought since September, when he came up short in a bid to swipe the UFC lightweight title from dominating champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. While the details of his next fight are up in the air, he is locked in for a grappling match with submission savant Garry Tonon later this month, which will keep him busy for the moment.

Do you think we’ll see Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz fight this year?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/10/2020.