The Diamond is back and he just put the entire lightweight division on notice. The former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier took on the rising contender at the lightweight division, Dan Hooker in the main event of last fight night.
Though both Hooker and Poirier put on their absolute best performance it was Poirier who got his hands raised in the end. Even with the loss, Dan Hooker is now a hot attraction in the division cause he delivers each time he gets into the octagon. He is still young and one can see Hooker doing some amazing things in UFC down the line.
However, what’s next for the favorite son of Lafayette, Dustin Poirier? Poirier did everything he was supposed to do inside the octagon. But he missed out on a huge opportunity by not calling out Conor McGregor in his post-fight interview. The stage was all set for the long awaited rematch between the Notorious and the Diamond.
Who is next for Dustin Poirier?
But it seems Poirier had some other plans in his mind. Nevertheless, the door is wide open for Poirier after an emphatic UFC return. Dustin Poirier lost the opportunity to claim the lightweight title when he took on Khabib Nurmagomedov. But that does not mean Poirier will have a hard time getting another title shot.
Justin Gaethje and Kamaru Usman throw bombs at each other in a recent training footage
Justin Gaethje takes on Khabib Nurmagomedov with the lightweight title on the line. And as good as Khabib is inside the UFC octagon, Gaethje is a real threat to the unbeaten Russian. He has phenomenal striking, scary knockout power, and an impressive wrestling pedigree to counter the chain wrestling of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
And if Gaethje manages to cause the biggest upset in UFC and beat Khabib Nurmagomedov then a strong argument can be done for Dustin Poirier to fight for the title. Poirier is the only fighter in UFC at the moment who has a victory over Gaethje. And looking at the improvements in both fighters’ games, the rematch would be nothing less of an instant classic.
Styles make fights
Justin Gaethje does not take the fight to the ground. He stands and trades shots with his opponents until the referee stops the fight. However, can he do that against the best strikers in the division? The gap that he has closed in his game, would that be effective enough to beat Dustin Poirier or Conor McGregor, two of the fiercest strikers in the division?
There are other intriguing options for Dustin Poirier besides Gaethje rematch including the rematch with Conor McGregor, a possible fight with Tony Ferguson, or a potential super fight with Nate Diaz. However, it can not be denied that the rematch with Justin Gaethje will be a dream matchup for fight fans.
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