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Dustin Poirier has come a long way from his UFC 178 loss to Conor McGregor. In the years since, Poirier has carved his way through a murderers’ row of lightweight fighters. He has lost just twice in his 15 fights since then, to Michael Johnson and Khabib Nurmagomedov respectively.
A frequent winner of Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night honors, Dustin Poirier’s fame (or notoriety) reached new levels this year. After soundly defeating Conor McGregor via TKO at UFC 257, ‘The Diamond’ found himself in an increasingly personal feud with the former champ-champ.
Following his shocking, limb-snapping second win over McGregor at UFC 264, Poirier looks set for another attempt at becoming the undisputed UFC lightweight champion. Last time, he fell to Khabib Nurmagomedov. This time, he will be challenging new champ Charles Oliveira. Let’s take a look at three reasons why this crack at the gold will go differently for ‘The Diamond’.
#3. Dustin Poirier’s conditioning has never been better
Currently, ‘The Diamond’ trains twice a day, six days a week. Despite claiming Sunday is his day off, Poirier will, without fail, go on a five mile run. This makes it, at best, an active recovery day over a full rest period. Typically, he aims for nine minutes a mile during this run.
Poirier dedicates his Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings to boxing, wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu respectively. He follows that up with intense strength training in the evenings with an emphasis on calisthenics, plyometrics and resistance bands.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Poirier will spend the morning on the floor perfecting his ground game. Those evenings are then dedicated to heavy duty sparring sessions. The exhausting commitment to training extensively in all areas of the fight game has paid off. Poirier continues to show improvement every time he gets in the octagon.
Not only is ‘The Diamond’ a machine in all areas of physical training, he’s also supremely disciplined in the kitchen. Devoid of any refined cheat meals, Poirier gets his fuel predominantly from fruits, greens, lean meats and eggs. When Oliveira faces Poirier, he’ll be facing a well-oiled machine whose body is primed for every mode of athletic performance.
#2. Poirier has enough BJJ expertise to hold his own against Oliveira
Charles Oliveira is widely regarded as one of the finest grapplers in the UFC today. A third degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Oliveira is a true submission artist who can catch hapless opponents from any angle to lock in a fight-ending hold.
While Dustin Poirier isn’t quite at Oliveira's superhuman level of submission wrestling, he’s a BJJ master in his own right. A black belt under Tim Credeur, Poirier has scored several submission wins in his career, including an astonishing body scissors on Anthony Pettis in November 2017.
For Oliveira, relying predominantly on his vastly superior set of grappling skills won’t be an option against Poirier. The Louisiana slugger has the know-how and the muscle memory to protect himself on the feet and on the mat against the Brazilian grappler. A more complete fighter overall, Poirier’s BJJ knowledge will be essential in one-upping Oliveira come bell time.
#1. Poirier's masterful striking
Dustin Poirier is infamous for his ruthless haymakers in the octagon. In his earlier days in the UFC, Poirier had a habit of putting his whole body into dangerous big hooks. For the fighters hit by them, the risk of a knockout was as plain as day. However, for those who could avoid being hit, Poirier’s reckless movements left him open to a variety of attacks.
In recent years, ‘The Diamond’ has fine-tuned his defense and mastered an astonishing knack for throwing big shots from any angle. Better still, his mindfulness of his surroundings has ensured he keeps his chin and lower body on guard when going in for the kill.
As displayed in his UFC 257 victory over Conor McGregor, Poirier’s striking abilities don’t stop at pugilism. His calf kicks are nothing short of devastating. Should a grappler like Oliveira sustain one too many lower leg shots, the strength and mobility needed for his ground game could be severely compromised.
Arguably the deadliest hitter in the lightweight division, Poirier’s A-grade striking could be just the ticket to his finally becoming undisputed UFC lightweight champion.
