As his nickname suggests, Justin Gaethje produces highlights every time he steps into the cage, but he’ll likely have a tough time gaining revenge on Dustin Poirier next time out. Despite being well-versed in most areas of mixed martial arts, ‘Big’ John McCarthy believes ‘The Highlight’ has an obvious key to victory.
The two previously met in the 2018 fight-of-the-year in a bout in which ‘The Diamond’ came away with the victory. During the grueling four-round war, the pair showcased their elite striking but it seemed the NCAA Division I wrestler was landing the more visibly damaging blows before he was caught and later finished.
While discussing the huge rematch, John McCarthy insisted that Dustin Poirier will need to make adjustments to avoid being compromised by Justin Gaethje’s devastating barrage of leg kicks.
“I think he’ll make adjustments. He had some problems with those. Justin’s got fast and hard leg kicks and it’s the way he sets it up. Dustin knows that he can’t sit there and eat those because that was really affecting him in the fight.
“He’s gonna do things differently than he did in the first fight so the damage that he took early will not accrue in this next matchup… The way that Gaethje fought in his last fight, that Gaethje is someone that can win against anyone. He fought smart, he was intelligent, and he even had a takedown. Fantastic.”
As the lightweight division is stacked with contenders, it’s hard to say whether the winner will be given a shot at gold next. While many believe an impressive performance from either man should warrant a chance to compete for the title, the returning Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler and Beneil Dariush vs. Charles Oliveira could all be viable options.
Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje and other fights at UFC 291
Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje is one of few non-undisputed title fights that will headline a pay-per-view event for the UFC, though they will be fighting for the newly vacant BMF strap.
Alongside the blockbuster lightweight main event, fans will get to witness Tony Ferguson’s return to the octagon when he competes with fellow veteran Bobby Green.
Paulo Costa will welcome Ikram Aliskerov to his first ranked fight inside the UFC. While, Alex Pereira makes his light heavyweight debut against former champion Jan Blachowicz, and much more.