A History of Interactions Between Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier
“Get your s--- together, young man. We’ve got a belt to fight for.”@DustinPoirier sends a message to @TeamKhabib, champ to champ pic.twitter.com/tIbXSZxCup
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 14, 2019
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First mentions
The two only really started talking about each other recently. Poirier first spoke of Nurmagomedov in late 2017 when he was asked about who the toughest fight at lightweight would be.
Should Conor McGregor be stripped of his title? Dustin Poirier has an interesting perspective. Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/3ecwFTgTHP
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) November 22, 2017
Poirier would then discuss Nurmagomedov’s prospects against Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson in early 2018.
.@DustinPoirier: Khabib "for sure" a tougher fight for Conor McGregor than Ferguson @lthomasnews #TLTS pic.twitter.com/NYj7Dyg88i
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 5, 2018
The first real mention of “The Diamond” from Nurmagomedov was when he was asked about a number of lightweights in an interview with Megan Olivi in March 2018. When Poirier’s name came up, “The Eagle” kept it short and simple by saying he was “not bad, but not a tough fight.”
Calling out the champion
Since then, Nurmagomedov would go on to become the lightweight champion, and that’s when Poirier started calling him out a lot more, particularly after his win over Justin Gaethje in April 2018.
"Khabib, let's go!" - @DustinPoirier #UFCGlendale Octagon interview pic.twitter.com/NezstlNy9f
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) April 15, 2018
Is @DustinPoirier ready for a title shot against Khabib after #UFCGlendale? pic.twitter.com/HoeFNuW6Fv
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) April 16, 2018
“The Diamond” would continue making his case, later explaining why he could be the first to defeat the Dagestan native. "I feel like my wrestling is very underrated," Poirier said in an interview. "My jiu-jitsu can cause some threats. I feel like I match up well with him. I think I'm the guy to do it."
Poirier would call him out once again following his win over Eddie Alvarez, arguing that the work he had put in made him deserve a title shot.
"Khabib, where you at?" @DustinPoirier #UFCCalgary pic.twitter.com/KBaVNcNSaT
— UFC (@ufc) July 29, 2018
However, the following month, Nurmagomedov was confirmed to be facing McGregor at UFC 229 in October.
Post UFC 229
Though “The Eagle” retained his title against McGregor, he was suspended for his part in the post-fight brawl and would only likely return after nearly a year.
Khabib went full Larry Holmes with the Hogan boot last night!
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) October 7, 2018
That left the lightweight division in disarray, with Poirier calling out both McGregor or Ferguson, though he still wanted Nurmagomedov.
@TonyFergusonXT or @TheNotoriousMMA in March or April https://t.co/o25oP3AgU5
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 28, 2018
He definitely does! No doubt! But when is Khabib gonna fight?? https://t.co/IICTvOfToD
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 28, 2018
I want Khabib https://t.co/9zBk2AzKr1
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) January 11, 2019
.@AliAbdelaziz00 says ‘unbeatable’ @TeamKhabib will beat ‘mental midget’ @TonyFergusonXT @DustinPoirier
— MMA mania (@mmamania) February 5, 2019
and @ALIAQUINTA on the same night #UFC https://t.co/KY6Pffqbsz
Struggling to get a meaningful fight, Poirier was ready to give up until Ferguson’s personal problems ruled him out of an interim lightweight title fight with Max Holloway at UFC 236. Poirier was called up instead, and the rest was history as he became the new interim lightweight champion.
