'People are foolish if they think Dustin Poirier can't knock Conor McGregor out!' - Eddie Alvarez breaks down UFC 257 main event
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez expects the main event at UFC 257 to be nothing but a 'boxing match with 4-ounce gloves'. According to Alvarez, both the headliners - Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier - possess knockout power and so it would be wrong to count Poirier out in a stand-up war.
Eddie Alvarez does not see the fight hitting the ground at any point. The former champ attributed this to the magnitude of the event. Alvarez believes that Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will find success in boxing each other inside the Octagon.
However, Alvarez has also stated that Conor McGregor would easily secure a win over Dustin Poirier in a wrestling match. According to the former lightweight champion, Poirier lacks the ability to out-wrestle the Irishman. Alvarez feels Poirier should stick to trading blows with McGregor and go beyond boxing range to create a brawl.
Who will win the rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier according to Eddie Alvarez?
Ahead of UFC 257, Eddie Alvarez is almost certain that Conor McGregor will be able to finish Dustin Poirier as he did the last time the two fighters met. Alvarez believes that the magnitude of the event is very high and 'The Notorious One' has a lot more to lose than Dustin Poirier does.
"I think Conor beats Dustin the way he did last time. The style matchup just kind of calls for it. The style matchup for Khabib and Conor is the same. I feel like it's the same fight. I don't know why they would do it again," said Alvarez on 'The Bash' podcast.
Alvarez also advised Dustin Poirier to create sprints and panic inside the Octagon. The former Bellator lightweight champion feels that Poirier should not let McGregor get loose and creative during the fight and can do this by staying on the outside.
Eddie Alvarez is a veteran of the game and has fought both Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Alvarez compared their striking and noted that McGregor is precise and accurate while Poirier has more of a 'blood and guts' style. It will be interesting to see if the main event on January 23rd will play out as per Eddie Alvarez's predictions.