Dustin Poirier plans to appeal no contest against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 211
Dustin Poirier isn't going down without a fight.
The veteran lightweight engaged in a war of attrition with Eddie Alvarez at UFC 211 on Saturday night in Dallas, but the end of the fight and the ruling on the decision didn't sit very well with him or his team.
It all went down in the second round after Poirier and Alvarez had both come close to finishing the fight in a flurry of strikes being exchanged. The end came after Alvarez unleashed a series of knee strikes to the head with the final slamming into the side of Poirier's head before he crumpled to the mat.
Unfortunately for Alvarez, the final two knees he landed were both illegal because Poirier had his hand on the mat for the first strike and both of his legs were on the ground when the final blow struck him in the head. Because Poirier was considered a downed fighter, Alvarez's knees to the head were deemed illegal.
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Despite the foul, referee Herb Dean decided to call the knees "unintentional" and when Poirier was not allowed to continue based on the advice of the ringside physician, the fight was declared a no contest.
On Sunday, Poirier's manager Robert Roveta from Denaro Sports Marketing informed FOX Sports that they plan on filing an appeal with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to have the no contest overturned to a disqualification.
Poirier's team has already notified the UFC about filing the appeal as well due to the nature of the illegal strikes bringing the fight to an end, which they believe should have earned Poirier a victory rather than a no contest.
Perhaps the toughest part for Poirier is that a no contest means he doesn't get his contracted win bonus for the fight with Alvarez, which cuts his paycheck in half.
Add to that, Poirier has a no contest on his record where his team believes he should be leaving UFC 211 with a win over the former lightweight champion.
