Although the end of 2021 is quickly approaching on the horizon, there is still plenty of time for season’s beatings and with the latest instalment of the UFC’s fight circus coming to Nevada this weekend, more octagon warfare will be on the agenda.
Warfare that will see Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier square off in a bid to become the Lightweight champion and with the former currently holding the gold, he will not be in a mood to give it away.
Especially as Oliveira will be undertaking his first defence as king of the Lightweight division and after getting the better of Michael Chandler at UFC 262, he would take possession of the then vacant belt.
Now though, his possession of the belt also means he has a target on his back and with Poirier formerly being anointed as an interim champion within the Lightweight division, he will now look to go one step further.
A step that he has attempted to take before and after being paired against the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242, the outcome was one that saw the fearsome Dagestani earn a submission victory.
Of course, when it comes to facing the fighter better known as Khabib, the eventual outcome is the same for everyone and therefore, defeat to one of UFC’s best ever, is not something that should define Poirier’s career. A career that at the time of writing, is one that displays a 28-6 (1) overall MMA record and with a three-fight winning streak in his possession, the 32-year-old approaches UFC 269 in rather good stead. To the point where, many will feel that the 32-year-old is in with a good shout of victory this weekend and with those who wager online, primed and ready to use their sports betting apps, backing The Diamond is not the worst bet you could make over the next few days.
Especially as this three-fight winning streak has not come against a trio of slouches and after suffering the disappointment of losing to Khabib at UFC 242, the Louisiana-born fighter would take out his frustration on Dan Hooker. These two met at the eponymous UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs Hooker card back in June of last year and with the former winning by virtue of unanimous decision, it meant a high-profile fight was waiting just around the corner. One that came up against none other than Conor McGregor and with the Irishman taking a flurry of punches in the second round, the Notorious One would then suffer a rather notorious TKO defeat in January of this year.
Which meant the personal fight series between McGregor and Poirier was tied at one each and with a rubber match then being the order of the day, the two would end their trilogy at July’s UFC 264 event. One that followed the same result as UFC 257 and although this time it took a doctor stoppage to stop McGregor in his tracks, it was still a defeat that he had to deal with and one that provided him with a sixth career loss.
Which leaves us where we are now and with the challenger highlighting his own credentials, he will now look to take it to a champion who currently possesses his own overall MMA fight record of 31-8 (1). Although there are a number of defeats upon Charles Oliveira’s score card, none of them have come recently and with a nine-fight winning streak under his belt, he has blown away all that has dared to stand in front of him.
In addition to that, he now can lay claim to the most finishes in UFC history – a tally that currently stands at 17 and although critics will say that this only comes from longevity rather than out and out quality, you still need longevity to go a long way within this fight league. Because if the losses are too regular, Dana White will have no qualms in cutting you and with the current Lightweight champion steering well clear of any additions to the loss column, he will now look to prove his championship credentials at this weekend’s UFC 269 event.