Lightweight contender Dustin Poirier will face Bobby Green at UFC 199 on June 4th in Inglewood, California.
Fresh off both an impressive win over Joseph Duffy, as well as a new contract with the UFC, #10 ranked lightweight Dustin Poirier is set to make his return on June 4th against an opponent who has been out of action since late 2014. Brian Martin of the LA Daily News reported on Monday that “The Diamond” will fight Bobby Green at UFC 199 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. UFC officials have since confirmed the matchup.
Poirier (19-4), a former featherweight contender, went back up to 155 lbs after suffering a 1st round knockout loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 178. The move has paid off well for the 27-year-old, who stopped Diego Ferreira, Yancy Medeiros (at a catchweight when Medeiros came in heavy), and most recently scored a unanimous decision against Duffy. Last month, it was announced that Poirier had agreed to a new deal with the UFC, with the Duffy fight representing the penultimate one on his old contract.
Green (23-6) has been sidelined with serious injuries for more than a year. The ex-Strikeforce fighter won his first 4 bouts inside the Octagon, including a short-notice win over Josh Thomson. His undefeated run would come to an end against Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night in Austin, TX in November 2014. “King” Green didn’t fight at all in 2015 after suffering a horrific torn quad prepping for a fight against Jorge Masvidal, then a torn ACL for a July bout vs. Al Iaquinta. Despite the inactivity, Green is still in the UFC’s top 15 rankings at #12.
UFC 199 is headlined by a pair of championship fights, as middleweight champion Luke Rockhold immediately rematches Chris Weidman in the main event, while the co-main event sees bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber lock horns for a 3rd (and presumably final) time in their rivalry.