A Trilogy in the Making, Will the Stars Align for Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje 3?
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The 155 division has been a powerhouse for years now with stars like Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Olivera and Tony Ferguson all holding undisputed titles. The division is so jam packed with star power in the top 5 that it’s very hard for prospects to shoot their way to the top. That’s where two lightweight legends who have both held interim belts but never the undisputed gold come into play: Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
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Best described as “stand and bang” fights , Poirier and Gaethje have similar styles both wanting to use their elite striking and kickboxing to finish fights at will even though Poirier is a Jui Jitsu black belt. Both of these fighters have challenged for the belt at least twice with Poirier having three title fights and Gaethje having two but neither able to snag the undisputed title showing the strength of the division and its champions. Both have actually fought twice with the series being tied at one to one with Poirier TKOing Gaethje in the first fight in round 4 and Gaethje winning the second fight by head kick knockout in round 2. So how are the stars aligned for these two to finish the trilogy? Let’s go into the history books a bit to see where their two paths cross again.
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Dustin Poirier is UFC fighter with a record of 30-9-0 fighting out of American Top Team. He’s fought in both featherweight and lightweight and has been with the UFC since 2011 making him a bonafide veteran and pretty much a lock into the UFC Hall of Fame whenever he chooses to retire. He has fought significant names such as Mcgregor in which he won that trilogy 2-1, Max Halloway, Khabib Nurmgaomedov, Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Petis and Islam Makhachev, the list goes on and on (all of those names were champions at one point or another as well). After losing his second fight with Gaethje he took a fight against rising prospect and former French Special Forcers officer Benoit St. Denis who is also known for his elite power and striking. Poirier and St. Denis would be co main event for UFC 299 in Miami. Poirier knowing if he loses this could possibly be his last fight went in there and TKOed St. Denis on the feet in spectacular fashion to various him back up the lightweight rankings.
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Now this is where things get tricky. The whole rest of the division was booked up with fights especially in the top 5 with Arman Tsarukyan fight Charles Olivera at UFC 300, Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway also fighting at UFC 300 for the BMF belt and Michael Chandler waiting for Mcgregor, Poirier was the only real option for current champion Islam Makhachev to fight as he wanted to fight at UFC 302 in New Jersey. So the two did end up fighting and Poirier got his 3rd title fight with many speculating that this could be the final time seeing the 35 year old in the octagon. Poirier later confirmed after the fight that he would have retired if he won. That brings us to the fight where Makhachev and Poirier gave that fans a bloody slug fest where both fighters were tired and busted up by round 5 where miraculously Makhachev found a sweep and secured a D’Arce choke to finish Poirier. Coming off that loss Poirier has stayed quiet but has shown that he does want at least one more fight and feels that he has more to give to the fans and the UFC.
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Let’s stop there for now with Poirier and shift to Gathje. Gathje is no slouch either being a fan favorite and an interim champion in the lightweight division as well. He has fought names such as Michael Chandler, Charles Olivera, Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson. His nickname being “The Highlight” from always putting on a show for the fans and rarely ever grappling only ever successfully grabbing a takedown against Rafael Fiziev. After head kicking Poirier to win the BMF belt Gaethje took a fight with #1 ranked featherweight Max Holloway, another veteran and fan favorite in the UFC, at UFC 300 for the BMF belt. The highly anticipated fight did not disappoint one bit with 282 significant strikes between both fighters. The five round war was insanity as in the last 10 seconds of the 5th round Holloway, who was obvious to him winning the fight by decision, pointed at the middle of the octagon to signal Gaethje to strike recklessly until the final bell. So he obliged and the two traded shots for what seemed like the craziest 10 seconds ever until at 4:59 Holloway dropped Gaethje for perhaps the craziest knockout of all time and a fight of the year candidate for sure.
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Now that we’re all caught up, where does that leave us now? Well if these two legends were to fight each other it’s actually quite beneficial. For one Poirier can finish off a trilogy and ride off into the sunset with great Pay Per View money and give the fans a memorable send off and maybe even headline a card that needs a suitable fight to headline. And for Gaethje this is huge because if you win you have a title shot right after Tsarukyan fights Islam for the title which will probably happen at the and of this year or beginning of next year depending on Makhachev’s health and when Tsarukyan suspension ends for punching a fan at UFC 300. Even if he does lose this fight there are plenty of lightweight contenders waiting for their shot which could really spice up the division. All I know for certain, is this would be a storybook ending for two fighters who made this lightweight division into the strong and powerful beast that it is today.
