A potentially barnbusting lightweight clash between former 155-pound champion Anthony Pettis and top contender Dustin Poirier looks likely to be confirmed as the headliner for the UFC’s November visit to Norfolk, Virginia.
This according to Pettis’ long-time trainer Duke Roufus, who broke news of the potential bout via his official Instagram earlier on Tuesday.
After an unsuccessful sojourn to the featherweight division, Pettis returned to the division in which he was once the champion at UFC 213 where he outpointed Jim Miller over three rounds — ending a run in which he had won just a single bout from his previous five.
Poirier, meanwhile, returns after the highly entertaining yet ultimately unsatisfying no-contest in his UFC 211 bout with Eddie Alvarez. The fight was ended prematurely in the second round after Alvarez was ruled to have landed accidentally illegal shots on a downed Poirier. A rematch between Poirier and Alvarez had been mooted but the latter will instead head into the Ultimate Fighter where he coaches opposite Justin Gaethje.
UFC Norfolk takes place on November 11th at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia.