Former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier has weighed in on the upcoming BMF title fight at UFC 300. Poirier faced Holloway and Gaethje two times apiece.
Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway, two of Poirier’s former rivals, will square off in the UFC 300 co-main event on April 17th in Las Vegas. Gaethje earned the then-vacant BMF title by knocking out Poirier with a head kick at UFC 291 last year.
Max Holloway’s return to lightweight is a chance at redemption after a loss to Poirier in his UFC lightweight debut at UFC 236. The former featherweight titleholder is coming off of back-to-back wins over The Korean Zombie and Arnold Allen and is hungry for a new challenge in Gaethje.
Some believe that Max Holloway’s return to lightweight is a mistake, but Dustin Poirier thinks it’s a risk worth taking.
Dustin Poirier: Max Holloway Isn’t Undersized For Lightweight
In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Poirier sided with the former featherweight champion Holloway.
“I think I’d put money on Max,” Poirier said. “I’ve seen a lot of people online saying ‘Max is going to undersized’… [but] Max is a big guy. He and Gaethje probably walk around at the same weight…
“His timing, range, durability. It’s a coin toss, but if I was betting, I would bet Max.”
Holloway isn’t ruling out another pursuit of featherweight supremacy following the upcoming fight with Gaethje. He has lost to featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski three times but could get a title shot if Ilia Topuria earns the belt at UFC 298.
Gaethje is a veteran of the lightweight division and poses an obvious challenge to Holloway’s overall game. He’s defeated some of the most impressive contenders in the division’s history, including Tony Ferguson and Poirier.
It’s only a matter of time until we learn whether or not Holloway’s big gamble will pay off, and Poirier thinks fans shouldn’t sleep on Holloway’s chances at pursuing BMF gold.