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Dustin Poirier understands why he wasn’t chosen to replace Khabib Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.

When news surfaced that Nurmagomedov was unable to defend his lightweight title against Ferguson in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Poirier, the former interim champion, was among those to throw his name in the hat to take the fight.

Ultimately, the promotion decided to go with Justin Gaethje, who now meets Ferguson for the interim 155-pound belt on the April 18 card, which will reportedly go down at Tachi Palace Casino Resort just outside of Lemoore, Calif.

Despite the fact Poirier (25-6 MMA, 17-5 UFC) holds a TKO win over Gaethje (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) from less than two years ago, he sees why the UFC went the direction it did. Poirier is coming off a loss to Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in September, and if he beat Ferguson, the UFC would be positioned to run an immediate rematch with Khabib.

“I think that’s exactly what it was,” Poirier told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “Me coming off the loss to Khabib, it’s just a new contender, a guy on a streak, an exciting fight. It’s just what happens. It’s business. I understand it’s a business. I can’t twist their arm and make them do things. Of course I would love to be in there across from Tony, but it’s all good. I’ve just got to fight and win, and everything will resolve itself.”

From the moment the new UFC 249 main event was announced, Poirier hasn’t shied away from offering a prediction. Ferguson and Gaethje are two of the great action fighters in the UFC, with a combined 17 fight-night bonuses over the course of their octagon tenures.

The fight will see a clash between two forces of violence, but Poirier said he’s got a strong inclination of which way it goes.

“I think (Gaethje is) going to knock Tony out,” Poirier said. “Both guys on the technical side of it don’t have the most crisp technique when it comes to kickboxing, but they’re both very damaging fighters. They both go in with reckless abandonment of their own self to land the big shots. I just think Gaethje is going to land something big on the inside and hurt Tony, man. I really do. We’ve seen Tony hurt a few times. I just think Gaethje is going to be the one to finish him.”

If Ferguson does fall to Gaethje at UFC 249, it would represent one of the great tragedies for a fighter. After putting together a 12-fight winning streak at lightweight, the world has been keen to see “El Cucuy” finally clash with Nurmagomedov, who is undefeated at 28-0 and riding 12 consecutive UFC wins.

A loss to Gaethje might spell the end of 36-year-old Ferguson’s title aspirations, and therefore hope for a showdown with Nurmagomedov. Poirier doesn’t sympathize, though, because that’s part of the fight game.

“Nah (I wouldn’t feel bad), that’s fighting,” Poirier said. “You take the risk. We’ll see what happens. That’s just fighting. It’s so unpredictable.”