This past Saturday at UFC 264, we saw the conclusion of the trilogy between Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC) and Conor McGregor (22-6). The fight ended in dramatic fashion when McGregor broke his leg at the end of the first round.
With McGregor not being able to continue, the fight was called and Poirier was declared the winner. While it’s not a clean result and definitely not the kind of win Dustin Poirier probably wants to celebrate, it still counts.
Now, the UFC is able to move past the rivalry between the two men for now and put on the title fight that should have happened in the first place. UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (31-8, 1 NC) was sitting cageside for the main event.
Dana White said before the fight took place that the winner would fight Oliveira for the lightweight title. With Poirier’s hand getting raised, the promotion now gets to put on the title fight that the entire world wants to see.
UFC: Oliveira – Poirier
Make no mistake about it, the two best active lightweights in the UFC are Poirier and Oliveira. Going back to January’s knockout, Poirier has been nearly perfect inside the octagon lately. The lone loss came against former undisputed champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Charles Oliveira has won nine fights in a row on his way to capturing the UFC lightweight title. In those nine victories, only one of them went the distance and that is only because Tony Ferguson didn’t tap from one of the nastiest armbars I’ve ever seen.
If Ferguson was a normal man, Oliveira would be on a nine-fight finish streak. Nevertheless, the winning streak is just as impressive given the fact that he beat Tony Ferguson from pillar to post for three rounds.
Poirier and Oliveira have been on similar paths inside the UFC. Both men have lost and both men have found great success in a weight class above where they started. Both men were top prospects at featherweight before becoming stars at 155 pounds.
Now, the two men will square off to determine who is the king of the UFC lightweights. Poirier was ranked ahead of Oliveira before Oliveira became the champion. The Diamond will likely be the betting favorite heading into their fight. However, Oliveira has proven over the last few years that he just might be the best in the business at 155.
Sound Off: Who will win between Poirier and Oliveira?