If Poirier doesn't retire, Volkanovski wants 'a little dance'

It's nothing new for Dustin Poirier, but if he decides to stick around in MMA a little longer, he'll have no shortage of potential opponents before he retires.

Add former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski to the list of fighters who have signed on to face Poirier after UFC 302 on Saturday.

In the main event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) was submitted in the fifth round by lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC). Makhachev successfully defended his title for the third time, tying the UFC record. Former interim lightweight champion Poirier was in his third attempt to win the belt, which he held undefeated until now.

After the loss, Poirier said it might be his last fight – the 35-year-old has been fighting for more than half his life, since he was 17 – but Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) made it clear after UFC 302 that he would be interested in facing Poirier.

Volkanovski lost his featherweight title to Ilija Topuria by second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February. Topuria was eyeing a fight with Max Holloway for the BMF belt, so Volkanovski may be taking a gamble if the title rematch doesn't happen.

“Maybe, just maybe, it depends on what I'm doing and when I'm doing it, but of course, I'd love to fight later this year once I have a clear idea of ​​what's going to happen,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel (via Championship Rounds ). “I don't want to wait too long. If the timing is right, maybe I could have a good fight with Dustin. I know he just wants a good, fun fight. We have a lot of respect for each other and I think it would be a great fight.”

“While I'm waiting for the featherweight title, I'd be happy to do it. It would be awesome to fight a guy like Dustin Poirier at lightweight. You heard it here first. Anything could happen. Dustin, you're a legend. Good luck. Still, it was a great performance. Let's have a little fun there and do a dance. Let me know what you think.”

Alexander Volkanovski criticizes Dustin Poirier

“Maybe it depends on what I'm doing, but of course I'd love to fight later this year… If the timing is right, me and Dustin could have a good fight.”

I know he just wants a fun fight…because I think it’s going to be a massive fight… pic.twitter.com/l7G5LzKga0

— Championship Round (@ChampRDS) June 2, 2024

Volkanovski has been adamant that his next fight at featherweight will be for the title he once held, or else he'll fight at lightweight, where he lost two title bouts to Makhachev before losing the featherweight belt to Topuria.

For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 302 event hub.