Justin Gaethje would be happy if he is offered the Dustin Poirier fight

Justin Gaethje, who calls himself the "Most Exciting Fighter of All Time," has his sights set on a previous rival.

At UFC 286 this evening (Saturday, March 18, 2023) in The O2 in London, England, Gaethje, 34, returned to the winning column by beating rising contender Rafael Fiziev in an exciting and bloody contest. Additionally, "The Highlight" maintained his No. 3 Lightweight ranking and added to his absurd accumulation by winning the "Performance of the Night" bonus once more.

Gaethje typically takes some time to consider his options after fights, but "The Highlight" already had a few matches in mind afterward, including a rematch of a "Fight of the Year."

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Gaethje said when asked if he wants to fight Dustin Poirier next during UFC 286’s post-fight press conference. “You know, I did what I had to do — I fought someone ranked below me. I 100 percent believe that I deserve to fight someone ranked in front of me.

“The loser of the Oliveira vs Dariush fight ... I’d rather not fight Dariush I love that dude,” Gaethje continued. “I think he’s going to beat Oliveira. I fought like a complete idiot when I fought Oliveira, so I’d love to have that fight back, but Dustin is a good option.”

Gaethje and Poirier blew the roof off Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., at UFC on FOX 29 back in 2018, a wild four-round war in which Poirier would finish Gaethje with punches.

The loss apparently still stings Gaethje, who hinted that he was interested in “The Diamond” before he defeated Michael Chandler at UFC 268. Poirer, meanwhile, is coming off a “Fight of the Night” win over Chandler at UFC 281 in Nov. 2022 and is patiently waiting for his next fight.