Max Holloway will face Dustin Poirier for the interim UFC lightweight championship at UFC 236 on April 12.
The news, which was first reported by Brett Okamoto, comes as a huge surprise to the lightweight division, which is still struggling to find its way since champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was suspended for his part in the UFC 229 brawl.
While Holloway had been touted as receiving an interim title shot, early reports had suggested it would be against Tony Ferguson, a man consistently regarded as number one contender to Nurmagomedov’s title by UFC president Dana White.
According to Okamoto’s report, Ferguson was offered the Holloway contest but turned down the bout.
Up until recently, Poirier had repeatedly voiced his frustration with the UFC, saying his streak of wins at lightweight has earned him better contests than those that had been offered.
Holloway and Poirier actually fought prior, with Poirier winning in just over three minutes via submission.