"I've seen this guy grind from the beginning" - Jorge Masvidal predicts Dustin Poirier will win the UFC lightweight title
Jorge Masvidal is confident that his longtime teammate Dustin Poirier will win the UFC lightweight title. He believes Poirier will have a "storybook ending" after dethroning Charles Oliveira to capture the undisputed lightweight strap.
Masvidal and Poirier have been training together at the American Top Team (ATT) since 2012. Ahead of the Louisiana native's trilogy fight against Conor McGregor, 'Gamebred' paid a visit to Poirier's house and wished him good luck.
Masvidal said he has seen Poirier grind from the early stages of his career, and that he will reap the rewards of his hard work by becoming the UFC lightweight champion.
"Yeah, Dustin (Poirier) fights for the lightweight title, wins it. Storybook ending. I've seen this man grind from the beginning. It's just amazing to see where he is at right now," Jorge Masvidal said in an interview with ESPN.
Watch Jorge Masvidal commenting on Dustin Poirier in the video below (from 1:20):
Dustin Poirier won the interim UFC lightweight title in 2019 by defeating Max Holloway at UFC 236. In the title unification bout opposite Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 32-year-old was submitted in the third round.
Since then, Poirier has scored three huge wins over the likes of Dan Hooker and McGregor, two of which were against the latter. He is rumored to fight Oliveira on the last pay-per-view card of the year.
Jorge Masvidal says he "would love" to fight Nick Diaz
In the same interview with ESPN, Jorge Masvidal also said he wouldn't mind trading blows with Nick Diaz if the Stockton native gets past Robbie Lawler. The pair of welterweights will share the octagon at UFC 266, scheduled to take place on September 25, 2021.
Masvidal added that he has been wanting to fight Diaz since they were both competing at Strikeforce.