"I'm always open to it" - Dustin Poirier would love to run it back with Justin Gaethje
Former UFC lightweight title contender Dustin Poirier would love to face current interim champion Justin Gaethje in a rematch of their slugfest at UFC on Fox 29: Poirier vs. Gaethje back in 2018.
Poirier emerged victorious in the fight, knocking out Gaethje in style but since taking that loss, Gaethje hasn't dropped a single fight inside the Octagon and most recently destroyed Tony Ferguson in the headliner of UFC 249. Gaethje is currently scheduled to fight undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title-unification bout later this year.
However, Dustin Poirier isn't far behind Gaethje in the official lightweight rankings and a win this Saturday against hot prospect Dan Hooker in the main event of UFC on ESPN 12 might very well result in a title shot for 'The Diamond'. Speaking to MMA Junkie, Poirier said that he'd love to fight Gaethje again if their paths do cross at some point in time.
“I’m always open to it. It was ‘Fight of the Year,’ I thought, and I’m sure it would be again. I love watching him fight and like I always say, anybody, I’m a fan of watching fights, I would love to fight them because I know we’ll put some craziness on in there.”
Dustin Poirier likes Gaethje's chances against Nurmagomedov
Having already fought both Nurmagomedov and Gaethje, Dustin Poirier believes Gaethje’s got the edge over the undefeated Russian champion, just as long as he’s able to keep his back off the cage.
“It just depends how it unfolds and how Justin’s footwork is. If he can stay off the fence, I think he’s gonna give Khabib a lot of problems. Khabib’s gonna have a tough time taking him down in the open. But against the fence, I’m not sure.
Dustin Poirier also said that if Khabib manages to put Gaethje up against the fence and controls his legs, then it's gonna be a very long and rough night for 'The Highlight'.
“If Khabib gets him up (against) the fence and starts getting in on his legs, he might give Gaethje some trouble there and get him down and it’s gonna be hard to get back up. I know first hand.”