Dustin Poirier sees the UFC stripping Conor McGregor of his lightweight gold.
UFC 223 is set to take place on April 7 in Brooklyn, New York. The event is headlined by a lightweight bout between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov, while Conor McGregor is still holding on to a lightweight belt which he won from Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 and hasn’t defended the title yet.
Even UFC president Dana White has stated the winner would ‘be the champion’ while remaining coy if the promotion would actually strip McGregor.
Lightweight contender Dustin Poirier speaking to MMAFighting.com said he feels the UFC will eventually recognize the winner of UFC 223 as the undisputed champion and McGregor will be stripped.
“I think they’re stripping Conor here, and they’re going to fight for the real belt.
“This sport is a crazy thing, and what happens, it’s unpredictable. But I think the winner of Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib is going to be the real, undisputed UFC lightweight champion.”
Many fans are already anticipating how Tony vs. Khabib will play out, while Dustin Poirier also made his pick for an anticipated title fight. He acknowledged the skills of both men, gave the advantage to the dominant Nurmagomedov after he was able to finish Edson Barboza in his last bout:
“Just the two styles, I think Khabib’s going to pressure him and be stronger and better on top, harder to submit,” Poirier said. “I mean, if Kevin Lee can take Ferguson down, Khabib is going to do the same. And we’ll see. We’ll see [Ferguson] on his back again, we’ll see him throwing elbows and throwing submissions. It’s an interesting fight, for sure, but I think the most dangerous thing is how long it lasts on the feet.
“I know Tony’s really unpredictable, moves in weird, awkward ways, different timing. Khabib’s not as fluid of a striker, but we’ve never really seen Khabib in trouble on top, in guard. He does a lot of damage from the top position as well. So it’s an interesting fight, but I think Khabib’s going to come out ahead.”
Dustin Poirier’s next fight is against former World Series of Fighting champion Justin Gaethje on April 14 at UFC on FOX 29.
Poirier is obviously planning on beating Gaethje and believes he’s likely to be right on the cusp of a fight with the Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov winner.
What do you think of Dustin Poirier’s pick between Tony and Khabib?
