Dustin Poirier heading into UFC 195 with contract negotiations on mind

Dustin Poirier

Fighter pay is always a hot topic in the MMA world, and lately, some big names in the UFC have been vocal when heading into negotiation periods.

Alistair Overeem, ranked No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, chose to roll the dice by fighting the last bout on his current deal. Aljamain Sterling, ranked No. 9 at bantamweight, recently did the same. Both men walked away from their bouts with their hand raised and in position to maximize their future earnings.

Dustin Poirier (18-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC), who holds an honorable mention spot in the lightweight rankings, meets Joseph Duffy (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) this weekend at UFC 195 with two fights left on his deal. He’s not quite pushing it to the limit like Overeem and Sterling, but he understands the value of a win when it comes time to talk about a new deal.

“I signed a six-fight deal,” Poirier told MMAjunkie Radio. “This is going to be my fifth of six. I’ve been through a few contracts with Zuffa now. This is going to be my 16th fight with Zuffa. Previously, they keep me locked in and renegotiate when I have one fight left. So, that’ll be after this fight. We’ll see what happens.”

Getting past Duffy is obviously the primary concern right now. The two meet on the UFC Fight Pass prelims of the event, which takes place Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vagas.

The process of negotiation can be a painful one, but Poirier and his management team keep one eye on the disclosed payouts of fellow fighters.

“We go back and forth,” Poirier said. “You have to see what other guys are getting paid. The way it’s looking, man, people are getting paid. I’ve got to get paid, too.”

A win at UFC 195 would be Poirier’s third straight since moving to lightweight after a featherweight stint ended on the wrong side of Conor McGregor’s fists.

Poirier said a win would help with his very simple goal in negotiating a new contract.

“Trying to get a piece of the pie, man,” he said.

For more on UFC 195, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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