Dustin Poirier picks his winner for Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev
Dustin Poirier was recently asked by a fan on Twitter for his thoughts on the upcoming UFC 280 card and its main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. Poirier, who will likely keep a close eye on the main-event for his own title aspirations, responded in favor of Oliveira:
"What we thinking about fight night Saturday boss?"
what we thinking about fight night Saturday boss @DustinPoirier
"I think Charles"
@dustinspoirier I think Charles
'The Diamond's last UFC appearance was against 'Do Bronx' for the lightweight title in December 2021. After losing to former champ Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019, Poirier defeated Dan Hooker and then Conor McGregor twice to earn another shot at the belt.
Poirier came up short for the second time while trying to capture the title, losing out to Oliveira via a rear-naked choke in the third-round. The 33-year-old remains the No.2-ranked 155er in the division and is scheduled to return to the octagon at UFC 281 against Michael Chandler.
Charles Oliveira heads into UFC 280 as the underdog despite being a former champion. Based on the latest odds, 'Do Bronx' is +155 where as Islam Makhachev, fighting for the title for the first time, is a -180 favorite.
Justin Gaethje predicts Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler
UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje has cast his prediction for the lightweight clash between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. Gaethje shared the octagon with both fighters, holding a win over Chandler and a loss to Poirier.
#UFC268GAETHJE PUTS DOWN CHANDLER WITH AN UPPER CUT 😨 #UFC268 https://t.co/xaXYbQeF6I
According to 'The Highlight', he would like to see Michael Chandler use his elite wrestling skills, which was a huge factor in his success when becoming a Bellator champion. Since making the move to the UFC, 'Iron' has opted to 'stand and bang' with each of his opponents.
Despite hoping to see Chandler wrestle, Gaethje has backed Dustin Poirier to get the job done. The No.3-ranked lightweight stated that he can see 'The Diamond' winning in a similar fashion to his own victory over Michael Chandler:
"I think it's going to be a great fight. My initial thought is that Poirier will beat Chandler similar to the way I beat him, but we'll see. The biggest factor will probably be if Poirier can stop Chandler's wrestling. If Chandler gets him down a couple times, that'll change the way the fight's gonna play out, so I don't know. I don't think I would want to put money on that fight."
Catch Justin Gaethje's interview here: