Dustin Poirier recently announced that his fight against Tony Ferguson was off, shattering the hopes and dreams of all MMA fans. UFC President Dana White wanted the fight to be the co-main event for UFC 254, with Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje as the main event.
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The winner of Ferguson vs Poirier was most likely getting the next title shot. Poirier (26-6) was fresh off a unanimous decision win over Dan Hooker, a five-round war that took place in June of this year, whereas Tony (25-4) has been in the title picture for a few years now.
In May of this year, Ferguson was awarded another shot at the interim belt. Many expected Ferguson to win and improve his win streak. However, Justin had plans of his own. Gaethje put up a masterful performance, arguably one of his best in the UFC so far. He won the interim title and secured a title shot against Khabib.
The fight seemed like a logical step for both fighters. It looked like we had a lightweight extravaganza at Abu Dhabi. However, to the dismay of fans, a few days back Dustin revealed to Ariel Helwani that the fight against Tony was off.
“I’m a prizefighter and the prize was not right. I just need to be compensated if they want this fight,” Dustin Poirier said. He also revealed that he had shifted to Florida to start his training camp. “The Diamond” traveled back to Lafayette once he understood the bout will not take place.
Dana White on Dustin Poirier vs Tony Ferguson
Following UFC Vegas 10, Dana White was asked about the Tony vs Dustin fight. John Morgan of MMA Junkie asked, “Dustin Poirier kinda broke our heart this week, said he’s not fighting Tony Ferguson. What can you tell us about that? Will there be another fight for Ferguson or is this possibly salvageable? What do you think?”
Dana White replied by saying, “No, we’re not even trying to salvage it. We’re getting another fight.”
Who would you like to see “El Cucuy” fight next? And will he get an opponent in time for UFC 254?
Dana White says all hopes for @DustinPoirier vs. @TonyFergusonXT are dead: "We're not even trying to salvage it." 😭 Full #UFCVegas10 interview: outu.be/LkmxvczuFDA
