UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje cleared his way to a lightweight shot with a win over rival Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.
Gaethje meets Poirier in a rematch at UFC 291 in July, where the winner takes the BMF title. Moreover, Gaethje believes that the winner could get a lightweight title shot against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
talking on DC&RC podcast, Gaethje said he thinks the title shot will be next for him if he surpasses Poirier at UFC 291 and if Charles Oliveira defeats Benel Dariush at UFC 289. If Dariush wins, Gaethje thinks he’ll be next in line for Makhachev, but with a loss, he sees “The Highlight” A clear path to the belt for him.
“These ratings are for a reason. They may not be as legitimate as we think, but he’s No. 2, I’m No. 3. No. 1 fights No. 4, and a champion needs someone to fight. I think if Dariush wins, he (Makhatchev) will fight in October, and the winner in that fight The winner of this fight will fight.” Gaethje said (trans MMAjunkie.com).
“I don’t want to put myself in a position where I have to think if I lose, but I won’t because the fire hasn’t gone out. When I talk about those fallacies, I’m talking about the future. I’m talking about the reality of the situation. I’m 35 a warrior by profession. I’m 34.” There are a lot of examples of going too long, and I have people around me who love me who will hold it back. I trust them, and when they want to have that conversation, I’m going to listen to them. Right now, we’re going full steam ahead.”
A win over Poirier would give Gaethje three straight wins over Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev, and a former Poirier interim champion, so he would really deserve a title shot if Dariush – who won eight fights in a row – lost to Oliveira.
Who do you think will win at UFC 291, Justin Gaethje or Dustin Poirier?
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