With the UFC still in need of a headliner for its UFC 230 pay-per-view event on Nov. 3 at Madison Square Garden, Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier attempted to take matters into their own hands on Tuesday — completely unknown to the UFC.
Diaz, of Stockton, California, announced via Twitter he and Poirier would be fighting for an inaugural 165-pound championship — a weight class that currently does not exist in the UFC. Diaz and Poirier are already scheduled to fight at UFC 230, but in a non-title 155-pound contest.
I’m Happy to announce that I’m bringing a new weight devision to the Ufc
I’ll be fighting the main event November 3rd in nyc against Dustin Poirier for the first ever 165lb belt superfighter devision
I’m happy to be apart of history @ufc @danawhite— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) September 26, 2018
Moments later, Poirier also shared the news on social media.
Its been a long journey but here we are. NYC 1st ever 165lb Title in the UFC! #THEREWILLBEBLOOD #THUGJITSU
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) September 26, 2018
UFC president Dana White, however, said he was unaware of Diaz and Poirier’s announcement and that there is “absolutely no truth” to the UFC creating a 165-pound weight class. He said he is still working on a main event for the Nov. 3 card.
When reached by text by ESPN, Diaz doubled down on his initial announcement.
“I’m fighting for that main event 165-pound title,” Diaz said.
Poirier (29-5) has been campaigning for the main event slot for days. Prior to echoing Diaz’s announcement on Tuesday, the Louisiana native posted on social media, “I hear UFC is searching for a main event when they have one already. It’s me vs. Nate, 165-pound title. A main event for the people. Stop searching, Dana. We got this. Let’s go.”
Tuesday’s development added a new wrinkle to an ongoing saga between Diaz (19-11) and the UFC. The 33-year-old stormed out of a press conference in Los Angeles last month due to a disagreement with the UFC and claimed he no longer intended to fight at UFC 230 to begin with.
Diaz and Poirier are not the only fighters to publicly express a desire for a 165-pound weight class, but the UFC has not made any commitment to the idea. Tickets for UFC 230 are scheduled to go on sale on Wednesday, despite no official main event.