'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The main event at UFC Fight Night this weekend is going to be a high stakes encounter. We will have Dustin Poirier facing off against Dan Hooker in a fight that is too close to call. On one hand, you have Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier, one of the best Lightweights on the planet, coming back after getting dominated in the title unification bout against Khabib Nurmagamedov.
On the other side, you have Dan "The Hangman" Hooker, who has won 7 of his last 8 fights and is currently ranked 5th in the division.
While Hooker has momentum on his side, Poirier is one of the perennial top contenders at lightweight. It's hard to pick a favorite at this stage, but one thing is for sure, the stakes attached to this bout are very high. With Poirier ranked #3 and Hooker #5, the winner of this fight will be in prime position to face Tony Ferguson (who is ranked #2) for the #1 contender's spot for the Lightweight Championship.
Although Dana White has stated multiple times that Conor McGregor will fight the winner of Justin Gaethje vs Khabib Nurmagamedov, McGregor's recent retirement stunt seems to have put White off. In the post-fight press conference this weekend, when the UFC President was asked about McGregor he was quick to point out that the Irish fighter has retired so there are no fights to make for him.
With McGregor out of the picture, we have Tony Ferguson, ranked #2, after his first loss in 12 fights, waiting to pick up the pieces. He is coming off a loss against Justin Gaethje, and it would make sense for him to fight the winner of Dustin Poirier vs Dan Hooker for the No.1 Contender's spot.
This fight is a quarterfinal of sorts for both these fighters with Ferguson waiting for them at the next stage. Who wins? Now that's hard to pick. Hooker has been on a roll lately. His fights against Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder have cemented his spot in the top 5 fighters in arguably the toughest division in UFC.
Poirier, on the other hand, was marching towards the title before he ran into the greatest lightweight ever in Khabib Nurmagomedov and was dominated by him. Since then he's had hip surgery so it will be interesting to see if he has recovered fully and if there are any remnants of the Khabib fight.
Looking at his career accomplishments and well-rounded game, Poirier starts as the favorite but there's something about momentum that one can never discount. Both fighters like to turn it on in the octagon and regardless of who wins, we're in for some fireworks.
With Tony Ferguson waiting to face the winner of this bout, one thing is for sure - the Lightweight Division is going to delight fans with some crazy matchups this year. Even during a pandemic, UFC hasn't failed to deliver.
