UFC 291 PREVIEW: Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje II has fight of the year written all over it

The UFC returns to pay-per-view on Saturday night with one of the most talent-stacked cards in recent memory, headlined by the return of the BMF title contested between two fighters certainly befitting of the moniker.

Lightweight has long been one of the most exciting weight classes in all of MMA, and Saturday’s headliners deserve significant credit for their role in enhancing that reputation.

Perennial contenders at 155lbs, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will once again meet over five rounds in a clash that almost guarantees excitement, but what is it about these fighters that produces so much action?

After all, the pair boast some of the impressive accolades in the UFC. Both fighters sit in the top 10 for most post-fight bonuses, with Gaethje having earned seven Fight of the Night awards across 11 UFC bouts.

Meanwhile Poirier possesses the joint-most knockouts in lightweight history, and is tied with Anderson Silva for the most finishes in UFC history at 14. 

Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will rematch for the BMF title in the UFC 291 main event

The first fight between the pair came in the headline bout of UFC on Fox 29 back in 2018

But to gain a deeper understanding of how the two lightweight contenders have become so beloved by fans, one needs to delve further and take a look back to their first meeting.

The headline bout for UFC on Fox 29, when the pair met inside the Octagon in April 2018, the lightweight landscape in the championship was entirely different than it is today.

Khabib Nurmagomedov reigned as champion after capturing the vacant belt amid the infamous fiasco that was UFC 223; Tony Ferguson stood as the rightful No 1 contender having reeled off ten straight wins; Conor McGregor remained undefeated at 155lbs.

Poirier, meanwhile, was a fighter undergoing a significant transformation.

Always a tough out, the American drew praise for his aggressive style but his penchant for exchanging strikes in the pocket was often punished, with McGregor and Michael Johnson both stopping the Louisiana native.

Less than two years removed from the devastating defeat to Johnson however, Poirier was a changed fighter. 

Wins over Jim Miller and Anthony Pettis, sandwiched between a controversial no contest against Eddie Alvarez, demonstrated a newfound patience and vastly improved defensive fundamentals from the veteran of 18 UFC fights.

Gaethje on the other hand entered the cage in April 2018 a relative newcomer to the promotion, less than one year into his UFC run.

His first two bouts, a win over Johnson and a loss to Alvarez, showed the WSOF import was car-crash TV, utilising his accomplished wrestling background only to keep the fight standing and trusting in his heart and chin to physically outlast and overwhelm his opponents.

Gaethje marched forward early in the fight, looking to wear down his opponent with leg kicks

But Poirier utilised his boxing to pepper Gaethje with strikes throughout the early rounds

Poirier eventually overwhelmed the former WSOF champion, forcing the referee to stop the fight in the fourth round

When the unstoppable force and immovable object met, fireworks unsurprisingly ensued.

Gaethje’s take-one-to-give-one style was on full display at the Gila River Arena, keeping his guard high from the opening bell as he marched forward while chopping at Poirier’s legs with low kicks.

Poirier’s solid southpaw-led hand work kept Gaethje at bay however, and as the rounds wore on he began to land with frequency, double and tripling up his jab before punishing Gaethje with his left.

Though Gaethje remained competitive throughout, the accumulation of damage began to show as they entered the championship rounds and Poirier capitalised on his advantage to drop his opponent with a right straight left-hook combination in the fourth, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Unsurprisingly awarded Fight of the Night honours, the bout offers some insights into how Saturday’s rematch could unfold, but it is worth noting just how much both men have continued to develop in the five years that have followed.

Poirier’s impressive run continued, triumphing in rematches with Alvarez and Max Holloway and capturing the UFC interim title in the process.

Though he would lose to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira in later attempts to capture the undisputed belt, action-packed wins over Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler, plus a pair of victories over McGregor, have seen the 34-year-old become one of the sport’s biggest stars.

Since then both fighters have gone on to capture UFC’s interim lightweight title (PIC: Poirier)

But both were defeated by Khabib Nurmagomedov in their attempts to unify (PIC: Gaethje)

Though he also went on to be submitted by Nurmagomedov and Oliveira, Gaethje has improved leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Trevor Wittman, and has refined his violent approach for maximum success.

Perhaps the greatest example of this came in March, when he rebounded from a 10-month layoff to defeat Rafael Fiziev in the co-main event of UFC 286 in London.

Fiziev represented one of the new breed of lightweights seemingly ready to take his spot among the elite of the division, but Gaethje proved his technical prowess by defeating the accomplished striker by majority decision.

Though both could retire tomorrow having already secured their place in the UFC’s Hall of Fame for their accomplishments inside the Octagon, capturing an undisputed belt no doubt remains their single priority.

The reign of Islam Makhachev atop the division offers a fresh matchup for Poirier and Gaethje, and with both aged 34 Saturday’s main event could prove to be the first step on their last chance to capture that elusive belt.