Tag: Dustin Poirier

Poirier: I’d Beat Gaethje & Chandler If They Fought Me Like At UFC 268

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier believes he’d beat both Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler if they fought him like they did each other at UFC 268.

After falling short of gold in their respective prior UFC outings, #2-ranked Gaethje and #5…

Dustin Poirier, UFC 268: Chandler vs. Gaethje

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier believes he’d beat both Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler if they fought him like they did each other at UFC 268.

After falling short of gold in their respective prior UFC outings, #2-ranked Gaethje and #5-ranked Chandler met in what many presumed was a title eliminator earlier this month. In the UFC 268 main card opener, the two 155-pound stars thrilled a sold-out Madison Square Garden with a three-round war.

Throughout a back-and-forth 15 minutes, both men had success, rocking each other with clean, hard shots. In the end, as most would have predicted for a striking battle that went the distance, it was “The Highlight” who secured a unanimous decision victory.

Poirier Reveals What He’d Do If Gaethje & Chandler Fought Him The Same Way

Having rebounded from his unification fight loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov last October, Gaethje has now likely secured his place opposite the lightweight champion in 2022.

If that’s the case, the former interim titleholder will either face Charles Oliveira for the first time or will have a second collision in the Octagon with Poirier. “Do Bronx” is set to defend his belt against “The Diamond” in the UFC 269 main event next month.

During an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Poirier discussed the matchup that likely decided who he’ll face in his first defense should he be crowned champion on December 11. Addressing Chandler and Gaethje’s performances, which saw both throw caution to the wind and leave themselves open to big strikes, the Louisianan suggested they couldn’t enter a fight against him with the same mindset.

“If they fight me the way they fought that night, I beat both those guys.”

According to Poirier, the styles and strategy utilized by his fellow top-five contenders at UFC 268 would not work in a title fight. He claimed both would be “matadored” should they attempt a similar display when competing for gold.

“Nah, you can’t (fight that way in a title bout). You have to tighten it up. You have to be more technical. You have to be a thinking man, not just a brute in there, not just a wrecking ball, or you’re gonna get matadored. And that’s what I would do to those guys if they fought me that way.”

Do you agree with Dustin Poirier? Would he beat the uber-aggressive UFC 268 iterations of Gaethje and Chandler?

Continue Reading Poirier: I’d Beat Gaethje & Chandler If They Fought Me Like At UFC 268 at MMA News.

Conor McGregor Vows To Settle Poirier Rivalry Once And For All

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor isn’t willing to let go of his rivalry with Dustin Poirier easily and is planning for a fourth fight between the two.

McGregor has remained in the public eye despite being sidelined by the leg break he suffered ag…

Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor isn’t willing to let go of his rivalry with Dustin Poirier easily and is planning for a fourth fight between the two.

McGregor has remained in the public eye despite being sidelined by the leg break he suffered against Poirier at UFC 264. McGregor hasn’t made it secret that he wants to run it back with Poirier again before their UFC careers are over.

McGregor had his positive moments in the fight at UFC 264 in their trilogy, but Poirier was able to land some hard ground-and-pound late in the first round that changed the trajectory of the bout. With just seconds remaining in the round, McGregor’s left leg collapsed from underneath him, and the fight was stopped by the doctors.

McGregor recently took to Twitter to make his intentions perfectly clear for his return.

“Nasty elbows and upkicks for sure,” McGregor said. “That or maybe a really annoying blue bottle was around him after the fight. Make no mistake they are not looking forward to what is coming. I will be back and it will be settled. Once and for all.”

Conor McGregor Is Anticipating A Mid-2022 UFC Return

McGregor has made plenty of enemies during his time away from MMA, which has included engaging in Twitter back-and-forths with the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Ali Abdelaziz. He has also allegedly assaulted an Italian DJ while on vacation with his family and nearly brawled with American rapper Machine Gun Kelly at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.

McGregor has hinted at a return to the Octagon in 2022, and in a since-deleted tweet is targeting his first fight back to be sometime in the summer. He has been challenged by multiple potential opponents, including Max Holloway and Michael Chandler.

McGregor has lost back-to-back fights against Poirier but is clearly not giving up on another shot at the lightweight title. He’ll look to get back on track once he is fully recovered from his leg injury.

How do you think a fourth fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier would play out?

Continue Reading Conor McGregor Vows To Settle Poirier Rivalry Once And For All at MMA News.

Dustin Poirier Suggests Gaethje/Makhachev Title Eliminator Bout

Dustin Poirier has suggested a title eliminator between former interim champion Justin Gaethje and surging Dagestani Islam Makhachev.

The debate over who deserves the first lightweight title shot of 2022 has picked up pace in recent weeks. The firs…

Dustin Poirier, Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje

Dustin Poirier has suggested a title eliminator between former interim champion Justin Gaethje and surging Dagestani Islam Makhachev.

The debate over who deserves the first lightweight title shot of 2022 has picked up pace in recent weeks. The first man to stake his claim for a meeting with the champ was Makhachev. The 30-year-old extended his winning streak to nine in Abu Dhabi last month. At UFC 267, he faced Dan Hooker, who stepped in to replace the injured Rafael dos Anjos. With a brutal kimura, Makhachev secured a first-round submission victory.

Having previously finished Drew Dober and Thiago Moisés this year, and ascended into the lightweight top five, Makhachev believes he has earned a championship opportunity, something that’s being heavily pushed by his friend and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov.

On the other side of the coin is Gaethje. “The Highlight” held the interim gold last year and was the last man to challenge the dominance of Khabib. After over a year away from the cage following his loss to “The Eagle,” Gaethje returned to action at UFC 268 earlier this month. In a Fight of the Year contender, the brawler outpointed Michael Chandler, who’d fought for the title at UFC 262 in May this year.

Having held the interim strap in 2020, defeated one half of the most recent title fight, and maintained his place as the #2 man in the weight class, Gaethje believes he’s at the top of the queue. He has said he’ll “riot” if he isn’t granted the next shot at the champion.

Poirier has A Solution To The Debate

With the battle of ranking and competition level versus form and winning streak raging on, the current number one contender has given his take on his division’s title picture. After defeating MMA’s biggest superstar Conor McGregor twice this year, Poirier will challenge for Charles Oliveira’s gold in the UFC 269 main event on December 11.

During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Poirier discussed who he believes he should be facing next if he emerges victorious over “Do Bronx.” After clarifying that it ultimately won’t be his call, the Louisianan suggested Makhachev and Gaethje should simply meet in the cage to determine the next challenger.

“[Gaethje’s] victory over Michael Chandler] is one fight since the title fight. So obviously, he’s still the #2-ranked guy. Islam is on a huge streak. It’s not my call. I don’t know. Maybe Islam needs to fight one more top contender and then he’s next. I don’t know. Maybe Gaethje should fight Islam. That way, settle it. That’s the beautiful thing about fighting, right? You can just fight it out.”

Do you agree with Dustin Poirier? Should Gaethje and Makhachev collide in a title eliminator?

Continue Reading Dustin Poirier Suggests Gaethje/Makhachev Title Eliminator Bout at MMA News.

Dustin Poirier Sides With Yan Over McGregor In Best UFC Boxer Debate

Dustin Poirier knows great boxing when he sees it.

Dustin Poirier is known as one of the best lightweights in the UFC. He is getting the chance to show that he is the best as he takes on champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 269. Recently, there has be…

Dustin Poirier Petr Yan

Dustin Poirier knows great boxing when he sees it.

Dustin Poirier is known as one of the best lightweights in the UFC. He is getting the chance to show that he is the best as he takes on champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 269. Recently, there has been a debate going on as to who is the best boxer in the UFC. Poirier is one of the better stand-up fighters in the game but he has his own opinion on who is the best.

“I think Petr Yan (is the best boxer in the UFC),” Poirier told The MMA Hour. Just the way he moves. He doesn’t waste a lot of movements. His positioning is always crisp. His footwork, he’s never out of position. He doesn’t load up, but he throws clean power shots. Good accuracy, but he works the body well. Goes up, goes up. There’s just a lot of things that he does really well.”

Conor McGregor took on this topic as well. Although he did recognize that Yan’s boxing was top-notch, he had himself at the top of the list. He even invited Yan to come and train with him so they could see firsthand who was superior.

Poirier’s complement didn’t go unnoticed by Yan. He took to Twitter later to acknowledge these statements by Poirier and to add a dig at McGregor.

“Obviously, @DustinPoirier understands boxing better than @TheNotoriousMMA ?,” Yan wrote.

Since coming to the UFC Yan has only lost one fight, his disqualification against Aljamian Sterling. He has four KO or TKO finishes and is now holding the interim bantamweight title. His last showing against Cory Sandhagen was what got people talking about his striking. It was a masterclass in MMA standup.

Who do you think has the best boxing in all of the UFC?

Continue Reading Dustin Poirier Sides With Yan Over McGregor In Best UFC Boxer Debate at MMA News.

Dustin Poirier Rules Out Retiring: ‘These Guys Need Ass Whoopings’

Dustin PoirierDustin Poirier insists he will continue fighting win or lose at UFC 269. Justin Gaethje recently predicted that ‘The Diamond’ will walk away from fighting after beating Charles Oliveira on December 11. Speaking to The MMA Hour Poirier reacted to ‘The Highlight’ questioning his desire to fight. “It’s enticing, it makes people interested, it’s a […]

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier insists he will continue fighting win or lose at UFC 269.

Justin Gaethje recently predicted that ‘The Diamond’ will walk away from fighting after beating Charles Oliveira on December 11.

Speaking to The MMA Hour Poirier reacted to ‘The Highlight’ questioning his desire to fight.

“It’s enticing, it makes people interested, it’s a hook, he’s hoping I bite onto it and beat Oliveira” and ‘ah, Gaethje, I’ve got to give it to him now because he’s the one running his mouth”. 

Poirier insists he will not walk away from MMA after UFC 269, although he is financially stable enough to do so.

“Nah, man – I’m a fighter,” he said. “I’m fortunate enough now, with this year that I’ve had, I could walk away. It’s a great position to be in, but these guys need ass-whoopings, and I’m the guy to give it to them. And we can’t walk away like that.”

Dustin Poirier Has Some Concerns About Justin Gaethje After UFC 268

Gaethje is coming off an impressive win over former Bellator champion Michael Chandler at UFC 268, the fight was a war with both fighters looking like they could knock the other out at any moment.

Some of the MMA community have been saying it was the Fight of the Year, and Poirier was impressed to some degree but also expressed his concern at their willingness to take such damage in the fight.

“Damn, this is bad for you — is what I’m thinking,” he said. “These guys are crazy, man, for taking damage like that. But I think I beat both of those guys if they fight me the way they fought that night.”

Do you think Justin Gaethje can beat Dustin Poirier in the rematch? 

Dustin Poirier Shuts Down Retirement Talk: “Nah, Man, I’m A Fighter”

Dustin Poirier has no plans of letting his fellow UFC lightweights off the hook by retiring after UFC 269.

Though only 32 years old, Dustin Poirier is the true definition of a fighting veteran. He has been competing as an MMA professional since the…

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier has no plans of letting his fellow UFC lightweights off the hook by retiring after UFC 269.

Though only 32 years old, Dustin Poirier is the true definition of a fighting veteran. He has been competing as an MMA professional since the age of 20. In the decade-plus to follow, the Louisianian has been paid in full and will look to cash in on the biggest reward of his career when he challenges Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight championship at UFC 269.

The idea of finally having undisputed UFC championship gold wrapped around his waist is a powerful one, so much so that Poirier even hinted that it would be enough for him to exit the sport on. Now that Justin Gaethje is potentially next in line for a shot at the Poirier/Oliveira winner, he shared his own prediction for what Poirier would do next should he be victorious on December 11.

Justin Gaethje Dustin Poirier
Photo via Instagram @dustinpoirier

Gaethje harked back to his 2018 Fight of the Night against Poirier, an instant classic that was filled with unceasing brutality. Gaethje believes the fight was so punishing that Poirier would not want to have this experience again and would just as soon retire from the sport to avoid reliving it.

In an appearance on The MMA Hour this week, Poirier would put that theory to rest when speaking to Ariel Helwani.

“Nah, man, I’m a fighter,” Poirier said. “I’m fortunate enough now, with this year that I’ve had, I could walk away. It’s a great position to be in. But these guys need ass whippins and I’m the guy to give it to ’em. And we can’t walk away like that, Ariel.”

Dustin Poirier Addresses Justin Gaethje’s Comments

Poirier would then turn his attention directly to Justin Gaethje’s remarks. The former interim lightweight champion could not help but doubt if his former opponent’s memory is as clear as he says it is.

“You know, the thing is, him saying that, I had a great night that night. I might’ve had a limp, but I was back at the (house party) drinking Modelos, and I was fine…

“He doesn’t have any memories like he said of going back and looking at the fight because I knocked him out. It’s probably kinda cloudy. I remember the night. It was a great night.”

Gaethje has admitted that he remembers the outcome of this fight very well, so much so that he has vowed to exact revenge on Poirier given the opportunity. That opportunity may now be just one fight away and dependent on the outcome of the upcoming UFC 269 main event.

Who do you think would win a rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje?

Continue Reading Dustin Poirier Shuts Down Retirement Talk: “Nah, Man, I’m A Fighter” at MMA News.