Dustin Poirier Eyes UFC Title Fight vs. Islam Makhachev: ‘I Want That Belt’

Dustin Poirier expressed his interest in a fight with UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in a social media post on Thursday.

“I want that belt,” Poirier wrote in a post on X, tagging Makhachev as well as UFC president Dana White.

Poirier is fresh off an impressive victory against Benoît Saint-Denis at UFC 299 on March 9, securing a swift second-round knockout after losing two of his previous three fights.

After taking down Saint Denis, the 35-year-old now owns a record of 30-8 overall.

As for Makhachev, his previous bout was a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 on Oct. 21. He defended his title by knocking out Volkanovski with a left head kick in the opening round.

Makhachev told MMA Junkie on March 14 that he would be open to facing Poirier, although he doesn’t believe that he deserves a shot at the title.

“I know Dustin does not deserve the title fight, but we don’t have any option right now,” Makhachev said. “Everybody is busy. I want to fight. I want to fight three times this year. I have to call out someone, and Poirier is free now. He showed an excellent performance and scored a beautiful knockout. He’s free now, he’s healthy, and I asked him to fight in June.”

“He’s beaten a lot of top guys,” he added. “He’s a legend. A fight with him, it’s going to be good for me – for the history, for everything.”

The lightweight champion followed it up on Monday by calling out Poirier’s defeats prior to his win at UFC 299, taunting him in a post on X.

If the fight occurs, Makhachev will be looking to defend his title against one of the sport’s most notable figures while Poirier has his sights set on a return to the mountaintop.