Israel Adesanya believes Dustin Poirier should be considered UFC champion "no matter what" ahead of his retirement fight

Israel Adesanya recently claimed that Dustin Poirier should always be considered a fighter who won the UFC championship and dismissed critics who pick on the Louisiana native for never having the undisputed champion status.

Poirier won the interim lightweight title after a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Max Holloway at UFC 236 in April 2019. However, 'The Diamond' lost his title unification fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov via third-round submission at UFC 242 later that year. He later lost title fights to Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev.

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Despite never capturing the undisputed lightweight title, Poirier is widely considered among the greatest 155-pound fighters and is known for his tenacity in the cage. Poirier is now set to face Holloway for a third time, in his retirement fight at UFC 318 this weekend on his home turf in Louisiana.

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Sharing his thoughts on Poirier's last outing in a YouTube video (via @ChampRDS on X), Adesanya dismissed fans who downplayed his achievements and claimed the Louisiana native should be considered a champion. He said:

"He is a champion, no matter what. He's got a belt at his house, at his gym, sitting there to represent him as a champion at one point. People who try to say 'you never became the undisputed'. No, when you're the interim champion, you're the f**king champion. You'd be blessed to have half the career that Dustin's had in the UFC."

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Israel Adesanya predicts Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 318

Israel Adesanya recently shared his prediction for the Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier trilogy fight at UFC 318 this weekend. While 'The Last Stylebender' heaped praise on Poirier's skills and resume, he backed Holloway to win their trilogy bout.

In a YouTube video, Adesanya outlined Holloway's defensive skills and explained his prediction, saying:

"Dustin tends to when he gets tired, he reverts back to his old habits, which is flat-footedness. He throws without setting things up, sometimes. But he’s changed that. But again when he gets tired, Max doesn’t really get tired... Max is trying to spoil the party with the 'Blessed Express.' I’m going with Max in this fight."

He continued:

"I think Max will be more defensively sound, he’s not going to get gun shy. But he’ll be smarter now with the weight, because Max has taken a lot of shots and the chin only holds up for so long. Lightweight Max, I still think can knock out Dustin Poirier, and this time could be different."

Catch Israel Adesanya's comments below (13:53):

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Edited by Nishant Zende.