Why does Dustin Poirier fight southpaw? A look into 'The Diamond's' stance

Dustin Poirier is one of the most celebrated lightweights on the UFC roster, and for good reason. Outside of undisputed champions with multiple title defenses, few can match his accomplishments in the division, let alone in MMA. To this, he credits his exceptional striking skills.

In the beginning, he was fairly limited to shelling up in wait for his opponent's strikes to end before returning fire with his own. Now, 'The Diamond' is a counterpunching phenom whose success stems partly from his southpaw stance.

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Examining Dustin Poirier's southpaw striking

There is a reason Dustin Poirier has the most knockouts in UFC lightweight history. He is an action fighter through and through, and his fighting style has carried him to an interim lightweight title win and TKOs over the likes of Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje. His status as an all-time great 155-pounder is sealed.

This greatness is a product of how far his striking has come. Poirier fights from southpaw, with his approach to combat being defined by his comfort in the line of fire. He stays well within range of his opponent's blows, using a Philly Shell to deflect their punches with his shoulders, elbows, and the top of his head.

While moving his head off the centerline, 'The Diamond' answers his foe's offense with counterpunches, often cracking his opponent with his trusty check right hook, which recently flatlined Benoît Saint Denis. However, the former interim champion's trademark tool is his shifting combination.

Check out Dustin Poirier knocking out Benoît Saint Denis:

When in southpaw, Poirier throws a right straight to mask his rear leg stepping through as he glides to orthodox. From there, he throws a jab with his left hand, but only to mask either an overhand right, which he rocked Max Holloway within their rematch, or a right cross, stepping through as he shifts back into southpaw.

These stances mid-punch enable 'The Diamond' to cover a tremendous amount of distance but present a significant defensive risk, as his glide into the opposite stance creates a massive gap to his head.

Aware that his foes are likely to try to counter him by bouncing back and taking an angle to throw a straight down the middle as he comes in, Poirier mixes things up by occasionally faking his shifting combination.

Check out Dustin Poirier using a shifting combination to set up a takedown against Conor McGregor (0:11):

Any opponent who takes the bait will either get taken down by a Poirier shooting under a counter when their hips are squared, or they'll be cracked by a check right hook as Poirier bails on the shifting combination right at the first instance.