"They can't swim with me" - Dustin Poirier believes his ability to take opponents into 'deep waters' is what sets him apart from the rest of the UFC's lightweight roster
Dustin Poirier is currently one of the best lightweight fighters in the UFC. 'The Diamond' has a solid resume, having beaten some of the best the promotion has to offer.
Poirier believes it is his ability to take fights into the later rounds and overwhelm his opponents that makes him stand out from the rest of the UFC's 155-pound roster.
During an interview with RT Sport MMA, Poirier suggested that dragging his upcoming fight against Charles Oliveira into the championship rounds will prove advantageous for him and his quest for gold.
"If I take anybody into deep waters, they can't swim with me. I break guys. Those later rounds come, four or five rounds, you know, championship rounds, that's when I'm really grooving and pulling away. I break these guys."
Catch Dustin Poirier's full RT Sport MMA interview below:
During his UFC career, Dustin Poirier has gone past three rounds in a fight on four separate occasions. 'The Diamond' got his hand raised in three of those encounters.
One was a fourth-round TKO win over Justin Gaethje and the other two were decision wins against Max Holloway and Dan Hooker.
Charles Oliveira plans to finish Dustin Poirier in the early rounds
Charles Oliveira is aware of Dustin Poirier's plan to take the fight into deep waters at UFC 269.
With that in mind, 'Do Bronx' hopes to spoil that strategy by finishing Poirier via knockout or submission in the early rounds.
During an interview with Helen Yee, Oliveira explained:
"I'm aggressive, I'm always moving forward. It's going to be the same, going for the finish, going for the knockout, going for the submission; that's how I fight... It's going to be two different styles inside the octagon. He's going to fight till the end and I'm going to try to tap him or knock him out in the beginning, so let's see who's going to take it."
Catch Charles Oliveira's full interview with Helen Yee below:
Both lightweights will seemingly be heading into the fight with differing game plans. It remains to be seen who will be able to assert themselves more effectively at UFC 269.
One thing for certain is that whatever happens, it'll surely create fireworks inside the octagon.