UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is willing to defend his title against Dustin Poirier this summer.
Poirier, a former interim champion and the No. 3-ranked lightweight, returned to the win column last week with a second-round knockout of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299. Poirier teased on X that he's also interested in a June title bout.
"Islam in June," Dustin Poirier said.
The top two candidates for the next title shot, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, have fights scheduled at UFC 300 in April. Oliveira will face Arman Tsarukyan in what UFC CEO Dana White called a No. 1 contender bout, and Gaethje is slated to defend the BMF title against Max Holloway.
Makhachev initially targeted a matchup with Gaethje before the Holloway fight was announced. The Russian champ was also scheduled to defend his title in a rematch with Oliveira at UFC 294 last October but instead fought Alexander Volkanovski for a second time after Oliveira withdrew from the bout due to injury.
Poirier has come up short in two bids for the undisputed 155-pound belt - in 2019 and 2021. The 35-year-old said that becoming champion is still his top priority.
