Jon Anik claims Dustin Poirier's legacy is etched in stone despite 'The Diamond' never winning undisputed UFC gold
UFC commentator Jon Anik was recently all praise for former UFC lightweight interim champion Dustin Poirier.
Poirier faced off against Michael Chandler in a lightweight matchup at UFC 281. The pair put on a captivating performance as they traded blows for three rounds. 'The Diamond' finally succeeded in securing a submission win over 'Iron', while the fight earned the “Fight of the Night” honor of the event.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, UFC commentator Jon Anik praised Poirier's performance against Chandler at UFC 281. Anik noted that Poirier has established himself as a great fighter in the sport, and there is no need for a title belt to "prove his greatness".
Expressing his appreciation for 'The Diamond,' the UFC commentator said:
"Dustin Poirier is incredible, and I don’t think he needs an undisputed UFC lightweight championship to prove any sort of greatness. This was a difficult matchup [for Poirier] in a lot of respects. Michael Chandler’s explosivity is a problem for a lot of people, and maybe if Chandler makes a little bit of a different decision at times in this fight, the narrative flips."
Anik continued:
“Dustin Poirier’s ability to recognize when he’s hurt, bite down on the mouthpiece, and then, obviously, his skill set is such that he is able to submit a guy in this setting, his ability to rise to the occasion...Huge night for Poirier in proving that his UFC body of work counts for a whole lot, and obviously I have buckets of respect for Chandler in defeat.”
You can check out Anik's discussing Chandler vs. Poirier in the video below (16:40 mark):
Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz would be a massive PPV, according to Michael Bisping
Poirier and Diaz recently had a heated exchange over Twitter. The verbal altercation between the two led to 'The Diamond' calling out Diaz once again for 'one last fight', claiming to be able to finish the Stockton slugger.
Come back for 1 fight and I'll beat the shit outta you bruh @NateDiaz209 twitter.com/espnmma/status…
With Nate Diaz no longer a part of the promotion, the fight is very much unlikely to take place. However, Michael Bisping suggested that the UFC should make this fight happen. 'The Count' also guaranteed that the matchup would garner a lot of pay-per-view buys, given the stardom of both the fighters and the history of animosity between them.
Speaking on the matter in a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Bisping said:
"I guarantee you that would do massive pay-per-view buys... Dustin Poirier versus Nate Diaz sounds like a smart business move. I don't know if the UFC are in the habit or the business of handing out one fight contracts... but Nate Diaz versus Dustin Poirier would be an absolute classic."
Check out Michael Bisping's discussion of Poirier vs. Diaz below (4:50 mark):