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Dustin Poirier is considered to be one of the best fighters in the sport of MMA today. Poirier is riding high on the momentum of back-to-back wins over MMA megastar Conor McGregor in 2021.
Conor McGregor famously defeated Dustin Poirier in devastating fashion in their first fight back in 2014, stopping Poirier via first-round TKO. Nevertheless, Poirier has managed to not only even the score with ‘Notorious’, but also take a 2-1 lead with a pair of TKO wins in their series of fights.
Dustin Poirier recently participated in an ESPN+ Q&A session and opened up on multiple topics. During this session, ‘The Diamond’ had words of high praise for an opponent whom he’s faced twice in his MMA career. The said opponent is former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway.
One of the questions asked during the Q&A was who the most skilled opponent Dustin Poirier has beaten is. Poirier responded by asserting that Max Holloway is the most skilled fighter he’s defeated. Poirier stated:
“Probably Max Holloway…He matched the grit that I bring, which I don’t think is easy to do, and his durability was amazing. He took some heavy shots, I knew he was hurt multiple times, and every time the bell rang, he answered it. He came out ready to scrap and I’m thankful for it, because I learned a lot in that fight.”
The first fight between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway witnessed Poirier defeat Holloway via first-round submission in a featherweight bout at UFC 143 in February 2012.
The rematch between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway was a lightweight bout for the interim UFC lightweight title. The fight took place at UFC 236 in April 2019. Poirier won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision and captured the title.
Dustin Poirier vs. Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez
Dustin Poirier’s next fight is expected to be against UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. A win over Oliveira would earn Poirier the coveted undisputed UFC lightweight title.
This fight doesn’t have a specific date announced yet. Moreover, the belief is that Dustin Poirier will eventually face Conor McGregor for the fourth time when McGregor recovers and returns from his leg injury in 2022.
Meanwhile, Max Holloway aims to earn a shot at the UFC featherweight title he previously held. To do so, Holloway would first have to beat Yair Rodriguez whom he’s likely to fight next.
