Dustin Poirier knows he has a tough task ahead of him.
Even so, ‘The Diamond’ has all the confidence in the world that he’ll “finish his story” at UFC 302 when he steps into the main event spotlight for his third and likely final lightweight title opportunity.
Standing in Poirier’s way is reigning 155-pound king Islam Makhachev. Unbeaten in nearly 10 years, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ has dispatched a slew of top-tier talent in recent years, including former champions Charles Oliveira and Alexander Volkanovski in back-to-back meetings.
Speaking with Ben Fowlkes of Yahoo! Sports, Poirier has no illusions about the test he’s facing in what could very well be his final appearance inside the Octagon.
“I don’t see a whole lot of holes, honestly,” Poirier said. “If I’m sitting here watching footage with my coaches, we’re watching and looking at things. He has good standup, obviously his wrestling is good, really good body locks … sweeps, trips, things like that. He seems really strong for the weight class, very dominant on top, seems very heavy. It’s exactly what it is. I’m fighting the No. 1 pound-per-pound guy.”
Still, Poirier is more than confident in his ability to land the big one on Makhachev’s chin and end the Dagestani’s reign in The Garden State.
“I’m going to knock him unconscious,” Poirier added. “And the ref’s going to be pulling me off him.”
Dustin Poirier is Ready to Check the Final Task Off His List
Poirier is one of the most accomplished athletes in UFC lightweight history. Making his 30th walk to the Octagon, ‘The Diamond’ has earned wins over a slew of notable 155’ers like Conor McGregor, Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Dan Hooker, and Michael Chandler.
Most recently, Poirier scored a stellar come-from-behind victory over Benoit Saint-Denis, KO’ing the Frenchman in round two at UFC 299 to earn his opportunity against Makhachev.
“I feel like I can climb my way back up the way I have over and over again,” Poirier said. “It’s just, do I have it in me? Do I want to do that? I’ve been doing it for so many years, grinding tooth and nail, fighting my way up this ladder to try to be No. 1. The goal is to be the undisputed world champion. That’s the only thing I have left to do in this sport. I want to finish the story and be the champion forever. That’s my goal.”
Watch the full interview below:
