UFC: The fights we are excited about, including Charles Oliveira v Dustin Poirier

There will be plenty for UFC fans to get excited about over the coming weeks.

UFC enthusiasts will be eagerly anticipating UFC 269 next month where Charles Oliveira will put his lightweight title on the line former interim champion Dustin Poirier.

Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that Poirier may hang up his gloves and retire from the Octagon. However, that appears to be the furthest thought from his mind, and when quizzed whether he would consider walking away, Poirier was unequivocal with his answer.

He said: “Nah man – I’m a fighter. I’m fortunate enough now, with this year that I’ve had that I could walk away.

“It’s a great position to be in, but these guys need ass-whoopings, and I’m the guy to give it to them. And we can’t walk away like that.”

Poirier (28-6) will fancy his chances against Oliveira (31-8), and it will mark his second attempt at an undisputed UFC Championship after he lost via submission against Khabib Nurmagomedov over two years ago.

There is also plenty of excitement being drummed up by the bookmakers for this fight. For example, sites such as BetMGM, which are renowned for sports betting in Michigan, post their odds quite far in the advance. And they have already installed Poirier as the short-priced favourite to win the five-round bout.

However, Oliveira shouldn’t be underestimated. Although Poirier enjoyed back-to-back wins over Conor McGregor, Oliveira has a lot of weapons to pierce Poirier’s defenses.

But it’s not the only fight on the main card that will be worth tuning in for.

The welterweight contest between Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal was supposed to be one of the most high-profile fights in recent times, but Masvidal was forced to pull out through injury.

As of yet, it is unclear whether Edwards (19-3) will remain on the card or whether the matchup will be rescheduled.

Edwards is searching for his first shot at a title, and it was disappointing for the Englishman, who is on a nine-fight win streak.

However, it seems Edwards has ruled out the prospect of a clash with Khamzat Chimaev happening anytime soon. But Chimaev will feel he has put himself in the picture with a first-round submission victory over Li Jingliang.

Meanwhile, there is a tasty fight for UFC fans to get their teeth stuck into at UFC Fight Night 198.

Miesha Tate is on the comeback trail, and she will be hoping to take another step towards the UFC women’s bantamweight title when she faces Ketlen Vieira.

And Tate – who came back from a five-year layoff earlier this year – is at No.10 in the MMA Junkie women’s bantamweight rankings, and she needs to keep racking up the wins to land a title.

There seems to be mutual respect between Tate and Vieira, and it will be fascinating to see how this one pans out.