Finally, after eight years of ups and downs in the Octagon, Dustin Poirier has won a championship belt. Granted, the title he won at UFC 236 – after five rounds of hell against featherweight king Max Holloway – is only interim. But the notion is that it at least earns him a shot at the true lightweight king, Khabib Nurmagomedov. So now the big question is… Will Poirier be the one who dethrones Khabib?
Keep in mind, Poirier did this to Holloway:
They’re in a fire fight early!!#UFC236 pic.twitter.com/ge9JdcrGNj
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2019
The knee that cut Holloway!
2-2 heading into round 5? What’s your scorecard say? #UFC236 pic.twitter.com/t4ur17DRh1
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2019
And if your memory can stretch back farther, Poirier out-brawled brawlers Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje.
So. Where does that leave us? Well, we know Poirier has got hands, and is durable as hell. We also know that Khabib will wrestle the hell out of him, and put his jiu-jitsu black belt to the test.
If they do meet in the cage, and according to Khabib, that may be in September…
I don’t agree with the judges 49:46, I got a draw, my respect to both fighters, and Porier’s achievement so far cannot be denied, my congratulations Dustin, see you in September. vs
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) April 14, 2019
…I’d say it’s a fight worth looking forward to. After all, there really aren’t many other lightweights worthy of a title shot, and Poirier tends to have pretty exciting fights.