Dustin Poirier has called for the UFC to introduce a 162lb or 165lbs ahead of his next fight.
Poirier has been bulking up for his welterweight debut after missing out on the lightweight title against Charles Oliveira last December. 'The Diamond' wants to compete lighter than 170lbs and has called for the UFC to introduce a new weight class between lightweight and welterweight.
"We need 162lbs or a 165lbs division," he wrote. A fan then claimed Poirier's normal weight is 190lbs, to which he replied: "I walk around 180 - 182. When I'm in shape mid low 170s."
UFC president Dana White has previously shut down the idea of a 165lbs weight class. White stated that the introduction of the new division would weaken the lightweight and welterweight divisions, two weight classes that feature some of the UFC's best fighters.
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Speaking about the division in 2018, which was potentially going to replace 125lbs, White told ESPN : “Never even considered it. It’s all just talk, I never even considered it. First of all, you make 165-pounds, you’re gonna start pulling people from the 170-pound division.
"You’re going to see a lot of people from 170 and 155 that couldn’t win a title jumping to 165 to try to fight for a title there. It just doesn’t make sense.
“We’ve always kept things simple. One of the things about boxing is you used to have junior middleweight, super-middleweight, and all these different weights, and it was hard to follow. You didn’t really know who was the champion, we have enough weight classes.”
White guaranteed the division will not be introduced until at least 2026, the year his contract as president of the UFC expires. Poirier first campaigned for a 165-pound division when he was scheduled to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 230 in 2018.
Both Poirier and Diaz wanted their fight to be for the inaugural 165-pound title. White dismissed the idea and it didn't matter anyway as Poirier pulled out of the fight with a hip injury and it was never rescheduled.
Poirer was pushing for a fight with Diaz earlier this year but the UFC has now moved on from the matchup and is considering other opponents for Poirier, who has been called out by former teammate Colby Covington. Diaz has requested his UFC release despite a third fight with Conor McGregor being heavily sought.
