Poirier (22-5) picked up a submission win when Pettis (20-7) tapped out at 2:08 of the third round. The fight headlined UFC Fight Night at Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia.
Pettis appeared to tap due to an injury, as he wrenched his body awkwardly in an effort to escape Poirier's full mount. Poirier had dominated the fight to that point, and he wasted no time calling out his next opponent. "Everybody points the finger, says I slip up in big fights -- that's two champions in a row. What's up?" Poirier said.
"I'm not gonna ask for a fight. I'm gonna tell you the fight," said Poirier, saying he wants the winner of the Dec. 2 fight between Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez. "Then I'll fight for the title. There, I laid it out for you guys."Poirier, who fights out of American Top Team in South Florida, is 6-1 since moving up from featherweight. He arguably would be 7-1, but his previous fight, against former lightweight champion Alvarez at UFC 211, ended in a controversial no contest when Alvarez landed illegal knees.
There was no controversy Saturday, despite the unusual nature of Pettis' tap. Poirier outlanded Pettis in total strikes 71-46, according to Fightmetric, and opened a deep cut over Pettis' left eye with an elbow.
The cut was so bad that the Virginia commission paused the bout in the second round to inspect it. Pettis, of Milwaukee, fought through the injury and threatened Poirier with several triangle submissions off his back, but he struggled to match Poirier's offense.
Poirier nearly finished Pettis with strikes at the end of the opening round. He hurt Pettis with a right hand to the temple and a long flurry up against the fence. Pettis did respond with a stinging uppercut, but Poirier took it and continued to unload shots.
"I knew he was hurt," Poirier said of Pettis. "He was bleeding a lot. I felt his power go. I felt he wasn't giving it his all anymore. You know the point in a fight where the guy doesn't want to be in there anymore, and I do that to a lot of these guys. I'm a nasty dude."Poirier, 28, is in the midst of the best run of his career. He was disappointed with the UFC when the promotion didn't book an immediate rematch with Alvarez after UFC 211, but he is in a good spot now to call his shots.
It was another tough night for Pettis, who is now just 2-5 in his past seven. He has been finished in two of his past three, including a third-round TKO loss to current featherweight champion Max Holloway.