Las Vegas, NV — Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier have being going back and forth on social media for the past couple of days, essentially booking (or rebooking) a fight fans have wanted to see for ages.
It started with Diaz calling out Poirier following his UFC 269 loss at the hands of Charles Oliveira. Diaz was targeting January, no doubt because UFC 270 is set to go down in Anaheim, not far from the Stockton native’s home base.
Poirier later revealed that, for whatever reason, the UFC couldn’t make January work. “The Diamond” then took aim at UFC 271 in February.
Maybe UFC 271 they couldn't make it happen on 270. I said yes
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 17, 2021
Following UFC Vegas 45 on Saturday — the final Ultimate Fighting Championship card of 2021 — promotion president Dana White told reporters that, if it’s a fight that both the fighters and fans want, they’ll make it happen.
“If that’s a fight that they want and the fans want to see, we’ll do it,” White told media outlets including Cageside Press following the event.
Another fight that has been tossed around by fans is Diaz versus Tony Ferguson. Asked about the possibility of that fight coming down the road, White revealed that they already had an opponent for “El Cucuy.”
“I think we have a fight for Tony Ferguson,” White told Cageside Press. “I think we have him lined up with somebody.”
So is it a fun fight? “They’re all fun,” White answered. “Look at tonight. They’re all fun fights. The cards that get doubted are usually the best cards ever. I just posted that this is like the third most finishes in modern UFC history. Tonight was an incredible night. This was the way you end the year, boy, let me tell ya.”
UFC Vegas 45 had a lot of big winners, with featherweight veteran Cub Swanson among them. He put away fellow vet Darren Elkins within a round — and later told the media that before all was said and done with his career, he wanted to fight in Palm Springs.
Despite a new venue being opened up there, White isn’t keen on the idea. “A fight in Palm Springs? That isn’t exactly a massive market. Probably not. You know, somewhere in southern Cal[ifornia] is as close as he’s going to get I think.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 45 post-fight press conference with Dana White above.
