5 reasons why Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier is such a good matchup

UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier [image courtesy of @ufc]

Dustin Poirier is set to have his second shot at undisputed gold this weekend when he takes on reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. They will square off at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the main event of UFC 269.

Analysts and fans alike have been salivating at the stylistic matchup of this lightweight title fight. Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira have both been in the UFC for a very long time, enduring arduous journeys leading up to this monumental fight in Las Vegas.

This one is so evenly matched.

Who wins and how in the #UFC269 main event? https://t.co/T6OZXoDKLJ

Many perceive Dustin Poirier to be the "uncrowned champ" of the lightweight division. ‘The Diamond’ could have fought for the title earlier in the year, but opted to take on Conor McGregor instead. Hence, Michael Chandler took on Oliveira for the belt, with the Brazilian emerging victorious.

WHAT A COMEBACK.

Charles Oliveira defeats Michael Chandler via KO to become the NEW UFC lightweight champion 🏆 #UFC262

(via @ufc)
https://t.co/YoEjNSk0V6

Could Charles Oliveira silence the masses and defeat the consensus best lightweight in the world? Will Dustin Poirier finally get his hands on undisputed UFC gold? Who will come out on top?

Considering how evenly matched this lightweight clash is, we thought we’d discuss five reasons why Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier is such a good matchup.

#5. Oliveira and Poirier have had similar paths to the title

Both Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier have been in the UFC for more than a decade.

Oliveira joined the promotion in 2010 with a reputation for being an extremely skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist.

He lived up to the hype on his promotional debut, submitting Darren Elkins just 41 seconds into the first round. He earned a ‘Submission of the Night’ bonus for his efforts and his performance set the precedent for what was to come in the career of ‘Do Bronx’.

Out of all of the 165 ranked fighters in the UFC, Charles Oliveira and three others are the only fighters left that were in the UFC when Oliveira made his debut in 2010. #UFC269 https://t.co/MSXarY7z9f

He plied his trade in the featherweight division between 2012 and 2017, but missed weight on numerous occasions. The Brazilian went 7-5 at 145 lbs before opting to make a permanent move to the lightweight division. Since moving up, he has gone 10-1 at 155 lbs, with his lone defeat coming against Paul Felder in 2017.

Currently riding a 9-fight win streak, Oliveira owns the best active winning streak in the division.

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Dustin Poirier joined the UFC in 2011 as part of the promotion’s absorption of the WEC roster. He made his promotional debut against Josh Grispi at UFC 125, securing a unanimous decision victory. He competed in the featherweight division for the next three years, before opting to move up to the lightweight division in 2014.

Poirier famously struggled with the grueling weight cut down to 145 lbs. A first-round knockout at the hands of a rising Conor McGregor prompted ‘The Diamond’ to move up to 155 lbs and compete in a slightly more natural weight class.

Over the next seven years, he established himself as one of the best lightweights in the world with wins over Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor (twice).

Watch Dustin Poirier discuss his UFC journey below:

Both Oliveira and Poirier had to suffer huge setbacks in order to grow as fighters. Going through those dark trenches and coming out on the other side allowed both fighters to develop the mentality of a champion.