In what was his second undisputed title fight, Dustin Poirier, who lost to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269, revealed the reason for it. ‘The Diamond’ dominated ‘Do Bronx’ in the first round and looked to be cruising to victory. But the Brazilian fighter came roaring back in the second round.
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He used his grappling to full effect and ultimately submitted the challenger in the third round. Poirier’s defeat sent shock waves through the MMA community and cemented Oliveira as one of the best in the world. Almost a month later, the Louisiana native opened up about what cost him the win at UFC 269.
He said, “When I did hurt him, I didn’t want to engage in the grappling. My plan going in was to keep him kickboxing, keep him uncomfortable. Not engage at all. And I think hindsight’s always 20-20. Looking back at that, I did get submitted, but I have good jiu-jitsu. I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu a long time.”
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“I should’ve engaged and threatened him with my jiu-jitsu as well, instead of trying to stay away from it. Because I knew I would be able to hurt him on the feet, I didn’t want to play jiu-jitsu at all. It was like I put a block on it completely. That was my plan going into this fight. But it’s not a kickboxing match. It’s a mixed martial arts fight, and I shouldn’t suppress any of my abilities.”
Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz might be happening
Ever since the defeat at the hands of Charles Oliveira, Poirier and Nate Diaz have been teasing a possible future fight. They have traded shots on Twitter, and now it looks like the fight might be happening.
While making an appearance on THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas, ‘The Diamond’ said that he got a phone call that got his flame going.
He also said, “Look I don’t owe these guys nothing, I am not biting my tongue, it is Nate Diaz, just like he got on Twitter, I am not gonna say what card, I am not going to say what date or whatever.”
This is a fight that the fans want to see, as both fighters are fan favorites and absolute brawlers. It is a fight that was supposed to happen a while back as well, but didn’t go through.
Diaz has one bout left on his contract and would love to get a big money fight. Poirier, on the other hand, is coming off a loss in a title fight and won’t be a contender anytime soon. Hence, a fight against a big name like Diaz will only be good for him.
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Do you think Dustin Poirier should’ve used his jiu-jitsu against Charles Oliveira? How differently would the fight have gone if he did? Let us know in the comments!
