Top UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje is concerned he may not receive a deserved title opportunity if Dustin Poirier is victorious over Charles Oliveira in their 155-pound championship bout next month at UFC 269.
To many MMA fans and pundits, Gaethje (23-3) is at the front of the contender line at lightweight. The 32-year-old former interim champion has lost just once in five fights over the last two years, and that lone setback came against unbeaten former division king Khabib Nurmagomedov. “The Highlight” seemingly stamped his place as the #1 contender this past Saturday at UFC 268, when he defeated top-five talent Michael Chandler in a battle that will go down as one the best the division has ever seen.
Having legendary brawls is par for the course when it comes to Gaethje’s career. One memorable instance, where he brought a violence showcase to the Octagon, came in 2018 against Poirier. The pair tore into each other over four rounds, in a fight of the year-winning main event matchup that the Louisiana native won by technical knockout. It is one of only three losses Gaethje has suffered during an unforgettable 26 fight career filled with awe-inspiring wars.
Justin Gaethje questions if Dustin Poirier has the hard to have a rematch with him
That battle waged by Gaethje and Poirier (28-6) is the reason why the Colorado-based fighter is actually hoping reigning champion Oliveira (31-8) wins on Dec. 11 Because he firmly believes Poirier does not want to endure another war of attrition with him, and might even out right avoid the idea of a rematch with the title on the line.
“I hope Oliveira wins. A part of me thinks; after I fought Dustin Poirier, I went outside and I took 100, 200 pictures and I felt great. Not one thought or emotion from that fight am I scared to experience again. I know for a fact when Dustin Poirier has to step in there with me again, he’s going to remember and constantly be analyzing that night. He was not out taking pictures. He was probably in the most pain of his f*cking life,” Gaethje told MMAFighting on Friday.
“If he doesn’t land the [fight-ending] shot in the first round, he knows he’s going to have to go through that again. If he beats Charles Oliveira, I don’t know if he fights me. I think he just walks away, calls it good,” he added. “So I kind of hope Charles Oliveira wins so I get to fight him March, April, May. If Dustin Poirier wins, I’m going to have to really entice him to f*cking get in there again.”
Gaethje has improved immensely since his fight with Poirier in 2018. He won four straight and interim gold following the loss. And the only thing that has slowed down his ascent since then was a grappling heavy loss to maybe the best grappler in UFC history. Poirier also rose to new heights after their scrap. Winning five of his next six, scoring interim gold of his own, beating MMA superstar Conor McGregor twice, and also coming up short against the Russian combat sports icon.
It’s why he expects a rematch with “Diamond” to be a different sort of “battle for the ages.” Assuming that a rematch even happens.
“Now he gets to fight a more refined and a more sophisticated psychopath. I think a rematch would be a completely different instance in time. I think the previous fight would have zero factors on what would occur on that night. I think it would be a fresh experience and I think it would be again, a battle for the ages,” said Gaethje.
“But again, I don’t know if I can get the dog from him anymore. If he steps in there, I know for a fact the dog’s coming but I don’t know if I can get him to step in there. In my heart of hearts, that’s what I truly believe.”
Do you agree with Gaethje, and Poirier might actually avoid a second war between the two?
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