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Will Dustin Poirier Get a Title Shot With a Win Over Conor McGregor?
The former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier will fight superstar Conor McGregor for the second time in 2021. After getting the biggest win of his career in January when he knocked McGregor out in the second round, Poirier will look to repeat that performance and finish their rivalry by winning two out of the three matches.
However, this fight has come at a cost for Poirier. He reportedly had to decide between a title shot at lightweight and a fight against McGregor. Having chosen the McGregor fight, he’ll be more motivated to capture the UFC gold after beating McGregor. There’s only one man standing in his way.
Charles Oliveira recently pulled off one of the biggest comebacks of 2021 by knocking out Michael Chandler in the second round to capture the lightweight belt in their back-and-forth title fight. Chandler won the first round convincingly, it might have been a 10-8 round, and he almost found the finish.
However, Oliveira survived only to knock down Chandler with his first punch in the second round and finish the fight from thereon. It was a huge win, and he’ll now face either McGregor and Poirier. But can Poirier beat Oliveira?
Oliveira is a submission specialist and has finished 19 fights via submission. He’s also on a nine-fight winning streak, and his last loss came against Paul Felder in 2018. He also holds the record for the most finishes in UFC history with 17.
A man of this caliber can beat anyone on his day, but maybe not Dustin Poirier.
Dustin Poirier and his incredible records in the UFC
Poirier is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the UFC. He has a record of 27-6-1. His losses are evenly split between submissions, knockouts, and decisions. ‘The Diamond’ has won 13 fights via knockout. Furthermore, he has won 7 fights via submissions and seven more on the judges’ scorecards.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: (R-L) Dustin Poirier punches Conor McGregor of Ireland in a lightweight fight during the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
More importantly, he has only lost one fight in his last nine, a title loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov. He has the power to knock anyone out in the lightweight division while also possessing the skill to submit everyone except Khabib.
Thankfully for him, Khabib has now retired, and the road to the lightweight title is wide open for Poirier. All he needs to do is beat McGregor, and he’ll get the title shot he has desired for so long. He certainly has the skills and the resume to have a chance against ‘Do Bronx’.
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