Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is set to fight former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion later this month at UFC 257. The fight is scheduled to take place in Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
This will be the second time the pair will be facing off against each other inside the Octagon. Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor previously fought against each other at UFC 178, where the Irishmen knocked out the Louisiana native in the first round.
Since then, Dustin Poirier has come a long way. He changed weight classes and improved his lightweight record to 10-2 in the UFC. He has beaten the likes of Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway etc.
Dustin Poirier has been through numerous wars in his UFC career and in his recent appearance on Theo Von’s show ‘This Past Weekend‘, he was asked how long he was planning on fighting inside the cage.
“I just signed an eight-fight contract with the UFC,” Poirier said (via Report Door). “My plan is to fight eight more times. You know, I want to finish this contract I’m on, fight eight more times. Then we’ll see where we’re at there. But I’m not looking past that or before that. I’m going to fight eight more times.”
Dustin Poirier not motivated by revenge heading into UFC 257
Dustin Poirier will be heading into this fight looking to hit the equaliser since he lost the first fight at UFC 178, which took place seven years ago. However, Dustin Poirier is a whole another fighter than he was seven years ago and he is headed into this fight with a different motivation and none of them is fueled by vengeance.
“This isn’t about payback,” Poirier said. “This isn’t a revenge fight for me. Of course those things are great. I go out there and beat him, those are all part of this storyline, [they’re] things I’m going to think about and be happy with, but that’s not the driving force of each day.
“I’m driven by the main goal: becoming the world champion, being the best,” Poirier added. “I know that a win over a guy like this, at this point of our careers, it etches my name in the history books—on its own page.
“I’m in the books. I’m in the honorable mentions right now,” Poirier continued. “I’m trying get my own numbered page. I think a win over this guy does that and cements me as a legitimate combat sports professional in a time that’s full of great athletes: Conor, Khabib [Nurmagomedov].
“It’s so much history involved in this fight. The full circle, fighting him again now, becoming the interim champ, switching weight classes. [There’s] so much going into this that I know what a win does not only for me and for my legacy, but for my family, their future financially. I know what comes with a win, and I’m ready to bear that weight at this point in my career.” (H/T -BJPenn.com)
Who do you guys think wins in a fight between Poirier and McGregor? Let us know in the comment section below.
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