Dustin Poirier certainly put the whole UFC lightweight division on notice when he beat Dan Hooker on Saturday night and now his coach is eyeing another shot at the UFC title.
Poirier and Dan Hooker had an incredible Fight of the Year candidate scrap at the weekend at Fight Night: Austin, with Hooker dominating the first two rounds before his opponent came on strong in the final three rounds, in a brutal and brilliant scrap.
The win puts 'the Diamond' at number two in the official rankings, behind only champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Justin Gaethje, and coach Mike Brown is looking for a title shot and a big pay day next for Poirier.
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"If it were me, it's a title shot," Brown said on The Luke Thomas Show, "In a perfect world if Gaethje wins [against Khabib Nurmagomedov], in a perfect world, that's what would happen.
"That would be everything going best-case scenario, but whoever he fights, he deserves a raise and deserves a lot of money for what he's doing. Every time it's craziness. Every fight is wild. There's never a boring minute. I think he deserves a million-dollar payday."
Gaethje is expected to take on Khabib later this year in an attempt to unify the titles and become the undisputed king at the weight.
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Before beating Hooker, Poirier's most recent fight had been Khabib's previous defence of his lightweight title, so it makes sense that a win for Gaethje is the ideal outcome for the 31-year-old.
The American took home $300,000 for his win against Hooker and Brown is probably right to think his fighter is worthy of more money.
UFC president Dana White will be hoping that money being mentioned isn't a repeat of recent history with the company having recent issues with Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou, Jorge Masvidal, Conor McGregor and Henry Cejudo over pay packets in recent times.
As well as a potential meeting with 'the Highlight,' some called for Poirier to take on Gaethje's most recent opponent Tony Ferguson.
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Ariel Helwani tweeted about the potential match up, one which would certainly be entertaining, and Poirier was quick to reply, asking for a little more time.
Whatever is next for the Louisiana native it's sure to be an exciting fight and the lightweight division really is the place to be right now.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor Mcgregor, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, UFC News, MMA News, Dan Hooker, Tony Ferguson, UFC, MMA
