Poirier floats 12-round boxing comeback vs Diaz under Zuffa Boxing

Dustin Poirier, who retired from mixed martial arts after a farewell fight in July, said in late September he would consider a single comeback: a 12-round boxing match against Nate Diaz under the newly announced Zuffa Boxing banner. Poirier posted on X that he would take "only 1 more fight" and named Diaz as the opponent, prompting an immediate and dismissive reply from Diaz that cast doubt on whether the matchup could materialize.

Poirier’s post came after his final UFC appearance at UFC 318 in New Orleans, where he headlined against Max Holloway. In his messages on X, Poirier called a fight with Diaz "the one that got away" and reiterated his retirement in follow-up posts, saying "I'm retired, I'm done, but Nate is one that got away." Diaz, who has fought twice in professional boxing since leaving the UFC in 2022, responded by writing, "I'd beat ur a but ur not aloud. PS ur checked out already," a message that questioned both Poirier's readiness and his eligibility under reported contractual constraints.

The two fighters were scheduled to meet in the co-main event of UFC 230 in 2018 before Poirier withdrew because of injury. That cancellation created lingering tension between...