Dustin Poirier has dropped down to No.8 in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings after being choked out by Charles Oliveira.
The former interim lightweight champion lost his second undisputed title fight on Saturday night, and has dropped below Jon Jones despite the ex-light heavyweight champion not fighting in two years.
And Poirier has also lost his spot as number one contender in his division to Justin Gaethje, whom he defeated by fourth round knockout when they fought back in 2018.
Both Poirier and Gaethje have been interim champions in the lightweight division, but lost their undisputed title bouts to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Poirier's loss to Nurmagomedov in 2019 was to the same move as his defeat to Oliveira on Saturday; a third round rear naked choke.
It remains to be seen if Poirier will stick with the lightweight division and launch a third run for the world title, or if he will instead opt to move up to welterweight.
He has previously stated an interest in moving up, although it was under the pretence that he would be going up as lightweight champion, which he now isn't.
Poirier has been called out for a fight at the weight by former interim champion and top contender Colby Covington, and there are also calls for him to face the newly bulked up Conor McGregor.
“You look at this bully that fought last night; Dustin Soyrier," Covington jibed during a recent interview with Submission Radio. "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 - 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 bad-a** fighter.
“Stop cutting all that weight, Dustin - come up to the real man’s weight class, welterweight, and let’s do this, man.
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"You talk too much s*** - bring the whole Louisiana swamp trash family, and let’s do this, man. Stop cutting all that weight, stop being a bully.”
Poirier has said that he is unsure what he will do next, although a bout with his former teammate Covington could prove an interesting prospect, that would fire him into title contention with a win.
Covington recently rematched with champion Kamaru Usman, and won a number of rounds over their five round contest before losing by unanimous decision.
Beating Covington would almost certainly make Poirier a top title contender, but he could also decide to face McGregor for an unprecedented fourth time at the new weight class.
The pair's last two bouts were two of the biggest fights in MMA history, and a fourth would likely be a massive earner for Poirier, who would be a massive favourite going into the contest.
