Dustin Poirier was found cageside at UFC 295, which took place at the renowned Madison Square Garden. During the event, Poirier was observed endorsing the Modelo advertisement. The former interim lightweight champion is currently without an opponent.
Dustin Poirier last fought at UFC 291 for the iconic BMF belt but was unsuccessful as he was knocked out by Justin Gaethje. It was the rematch of their first meeting at the main event of UFC on FOX 29, which saw him win by TKO in the fourth round.
Dustin Poirier talks about his UFC return
At UFC 295, Dustin Poirier was interviewed by Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, where he delved into a wide variety of topics related to himself and other contenders in the lightweight division. The bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 was presumed to be a number-one contender fight for an undisputed title. Both Gaethje and Poirier lost to the same opponents, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, in their respective two attempts at the undisputed title.
Dustin Poirier was a rumored replacement for the injured Charles Oliveira in the UFC 294 bout against Islam Makhachev. Nevertheless, Alexander Volkanovski was chosen for the promotion instead, primarily because of the existing relationship between the featherweight champion and the lightweight champion.Makchachev won the fight via head kick in the first round. Poirier does not seem to be looking at fighting any fight except for an interesting one.
He is interested in the prospect of having a rematch with Justin Gaethje. During a recent press conference, Dana White announced the intention of the UFC to schedule a bout between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira for the Summer of 2024. Gaethje is highly likely to receive a title shot following Oliveira, which would lead to a prolonged time of inactivity for him.
The present situation favors Poirier’s desire for vengeance against his acquaintance. Between their initial and subsequent encounters, the two combatants possessed matching records and experienced defeats against identical opponents. Poirier is interested in a third fight with Gaethje, ideally scheduled for UFC 300.
Dustin Poirier predicts Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev bout
Charles Oliveria and Islam Makhachev first met inside the octagon at UFC 284 for the vacant lightweight UFC title. The title was vacated after Oliveira missed weight in his previous bout against Justin Gaethje. The matchup at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi was one-sided, with Makhachev earning an arm-triangle submission in the second round over Brazil’s “Do Bronx” Charles Oliveira.
Following the matchup, Makhachev successfully defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski, who was then regarded as the pound-for-pound king and featherweight champion. In contrast, Oliveira achieved a triumph against Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in Vancouver, Canada. The expected rematch at UFC 294 was cancelled due to injury, resulting in Volkanovski replacing the Brazilian fighter.
Dustin Poirer has now provided his take on the rematch that is now set for the summer of 2024. It needs to be noted that Poirier lost to Oliveira at UFC 269 via submission in a lightweight title fight. “If he’s the same guy who fought me who fought Chandler uh I think he can win that fight you know I don’t think he wanted to fight in in that title fight he looked like he didn’t want to be there you know he he he quit on himself it looked like that’s what my opinion” Poirier said of the fight.
He further added, “I know personally he has the skills to to beat the best guys in the world and he has done that time and time again it’s just if he goes in there with his mindset locked and ready to go I think he can beat him yeah”. Nevertheless, Oliveira is an underdog against the pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev.
Do you think Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier will be fighting at UFC 300? What do you think of Poirier’s prediction for the Makhachev vs Oliveira rematch? Leave your comments below!
