Dustin Poirier has shared the Octagon with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and knows what it’d take to beat “The Eagle.”
Poirier challenged Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 242 from Abu Dhabi back in September. Although he put up a valiant effort, Poirier was submitted by Nurmagomedov in the third round by way of a rear-naked choke. The loss ended “The Diamond’s” five-fight win streak and ended his reign as interim UFC lightweight champion.
Now, speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show,” Poirier has offered his thoughts on who he thinks has the best chance to beat Nurmagomedov. Poirier picked top-ranked contender and former opponent Justin Gaethje. Poirier and Gaethje actually fought back in April of 2018, where the former put “The Highlight” away in the fourth round. (H/T MMA Junkie)
“Off the top of my head right now, I think Justin Gaethje (could beat Nurmagomedov),” Poirier said. “I think he might have the ability to keep his back off the fence and keep it in the middle, and if he does get taken down, scramble back up. I think guys like that who are going to take risks and brawl and have the hips and the wrestling knowledge to stay up would give him problems.”
First, Nurmagomedov will defend his title against Tony Ferguson in April. He’ll headline the UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 18. It’s a matchup years in the making. Of the four previous times the fight has been booked, each man has pulled out twice each with an injury.
Hopefully, the fifth time is the charm with this one. Although many expect Ferguson to give Nurmagomedov the toughest test of his career, Poirier is picking the champion to retain.
“I think Khabib beats Ferguson,” Poirier said. “It’s MMA, anything could happen, nothing’s for sure, but I just think he’s going to be the better competitor. I think if Kevin Lee was able to out-wrestle Tony, and I think Danny Castillo did the same thing, (Khabib is) definitely going to be able to do it.”
What do you think about Poirier giving Gaethje a good chance at beating Nurmagomedov?