Dustin Poirier came up short in his bid to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 last Saturday (Dec. 11, 2021) in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the second time “Diamond” failed to win the undisputed title, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 two years ago, also via rear-naked choke (highlights).
While some are quick to praise Poirier for his valiant efforts, there are just as many who will take the opportunity to kick a man when he is down. Among them is Poirier’s former stablemate at American Top Team (ATT) Colby Covington, who was far from impressed by the performance.
“Just the quitter mentality of Dustin. He’s always been like that. Doesn’t like to work hard,” he told Submission Radio (transcribed by MMA Fighting).
According to “Chaos,” Poirier is still trying to ride the wave of his two wins over Conor McGregor which, in Covington’s assessment, doesn’t really hold a ton of weight anymore like it did in days past.
“You know, living off beating Conor McGregor. What’s the big deal about beating Conor McGregor anymore these days? I mean, he has a great legacy, did some great things in the past. The guy made a lot of money, but he doesn’t have that same drive anymore,” added Colby.
“So, beating a guy like that is not going to mean you’re going to be some world-beater or the best in the world. So, that’s what I saw. I figured he’s gonna gas out and he was going to eventually quit. And that’s what he did. Just like in the Khabib (Nurmagomedov) fight. He quits, he puts his head on the mat and he leaves his neck open so he can get rear-naked choked. So, it wasn’t a surprise.”
Despite training under the same roof for years, Covington and Poirier didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye. Now that “Chaos” is no longer training with the famed camp, he is eyeing a possible showdown against the former interim lightweight champion.
“You look at this bully that fought last night, Dustin Soy-rier. Louisiana swamp trash. He said a lot of things too in the media. And now he’s saying that he might come up to 170, he wants to come fight in a real man’s weight class.
“So, this is another personal fight. These are different types of fights, man. This isn’t about the rankings, this is about personal grudges and being held accountable for your actions. You said it’s on site when I see you in the media, it’s this and that. He’s talking this big game like he’s a street fighter, he’s some badass fighter.”
Covington described Poirier s a “bully” for cutting so much weight to gain what he perceives to be an advantage fighting at 155 pounds. Known for crossing the line every now and again, Covington, sadly, couldn’t help but drag Poirier’s family into it.
“Stop cutting all that weight, Dustin. Come up to the real man’s weight class, welterweight, and let’s do this, man. You talk too much sh*t. You know, you can bring your little Jezabel of a wife, bring that little kid you used a prop, bring the whole Louisiana swamp trash family, and let’s do this, man. Stop cutting all that weight, stop being a bully.”
But is it all for the sake of the sale?