"He checks out of every fight" - Chael Sonnen believes Charles Oliveira will give Dustin Poirier 'an opportunity to beat him' at UFC 269
Chael Sonnen has stated that Dustin Poirier could beat Charles Oliveira due to the reigning lightweight champion's tendency to lose focus.
While predicting the outcome of the UFC 269 main event on his YouTube channel, the NCAA Division I All-American said Poirier will likely have a brief window to score a finish against Oliveira:
"Oliveira will give Poirier an opportunity at some point in this fight to beat him. He does it in every fight. One of the hardest things to do in this sport is to stay focused and stay in the moment the entire time. Oliveira doesn't do it. He checks out of every fight. He comes back. He only checks out for a minute or two... So within that moment is it enough for Poirier to hurt him and get him out of there?"
Check out Chael Sonnen's prediction here:
Sonnen said the two stars were closely matched in terms of skill but tipped Poirier to win a hard-fought contest. He added that 'The Diamond' would likely lose at least a round and several exchanges but eventually come out on top.
Henry Cejudo thinks Dustin Poirier could retire if he defeats Charles Oliveira at UFC 269
During a recent episode of The Triple C and Schmo Show, Henry Cejudo stated that Dustin Poirier might hang up his gloves if he wins the lightweight championship at UFC 269.
The former two-division champion said Poirier will probably want to leave on top. He added that 'The Diamond' doesn't appear to have the appetite for another fight with Gaethje either:
“I do believe that Poirier wins. You heard it here first, Schmo, I do believe he will retire. Because when a fighter starts thinking about retirement, it’s true, you should retire. And I feel Dustin Poirier wins. I think he wants to leave on top. I don’t think he wants to fight Justin Gaethje. I really don’t. I don’t think so. No, I was at that [first Poirier vs. Gaethje] fight in Phoenix. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t retire. But when somebody thinks about retirement, you might as well do it. And I think Dustin Poirier, if he wins, he will retire. You heard it here first from King Triple C."
Catch Henry Cejudo's take here:
If Dustin Poirier can get his hands on the lightweight title, the stakes for another bout with Conor McGregor down the road could be even higher. Poirier has also shown an interest in facing teammate-turned-enemy Colby Covington.
Since there are a couple of lucrative fights around the corner, the 32-year-old might not hang up his gloves just yet.