After a brutal knockout loss to Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier was in desperate need of a win in his UFC 299 fight with the rising Benoit Saint-Denis. He got the win he needed in emphatic fashion, shutting the lights out on the Frenchman in a wild, Fight of the Night-winning brawl.
Poirier has options after his big win in Miami. If the next crack at the champ Islam Makhachev goes to Gaethje, as widely expected, the winner of next month's Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan would be a great option.
However, we're going to suggest an option that's a bit outside the box: former featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.
Volkanovski is considered one of the best fighters of all time, but last month, saw his title reign come to a crashing halt at the hands of Ilia Topuria. Since then, he's been adamant that he only wants a rematch with the new champ—an opportunity he probably deserves—but at this point, it would be great to see the Australian legend focus on legacy fights. Some of the best of those fights exist at lightweight, where Volkanovski has competed before.
Poirier seems like a great option. Both guys rank among the best fighters of this generation, and both are in need of a big challenge to get keep them invigorated. If this fight were to be made, the winner would also be right in the lightweight title conversation, so there's plenty of reason for both men to take it.
One way or the other, it's clear that "The Diamond" is still shining at 155 pounds.
