DUSTIN POIRIER WILL aim for his fifth consecutive victory when he takes on Michael Johnson in tomorrow night’s main event at UFC Fight Night 94 in Hidalgo, Texas.
Poirier (20-4) has been on a tear since his move to the UFC’s lightweight division, which began in April of last year with a first-round TKO of Carlos Diego Ferreira. That win was the first of four on the trot for the Louisiana native but Johnson is likely to provide his toughest test yet at 155lbs.
Poirier, who stopped Bobby Green in the first round of his most recent outing (at UFC 199 in June), has only been taken out of the opening frame once since switching weight classes, but he still looked very impressive on his way to a unanimous-decision win against Donegal’s Joseph Duffy back in January.
After suffering a significant setback in his quest for a featherweight title shot when he was knocked out in the first round of his meeting with Conor McGregor at UFC 178 in September 2014, Poirier has been revitalised.
The McGregor fight convinced him to abandon the arduous weight cut that was required to keep him at 145lbs, so in hindsight the 27-year-old identifies his defeat to the reigning UFC featherweight champion as a turning point and the catalyst for his current run of form.
“I moved to lightweight after my fight with Conor McGregor,” Poirier says. “Me and my coaches always knew that it was a change that was coming up, we just didn’t know when it was going to happen. The weight cut was too brutal for me to keep doing.
“Since my move from featherweight to lightweight, I feel rejuvenated. I feel like I’m recovering better in training, I feel more explosive, more strong — it’s just a new chapter in my career and I feel like I’m going in the right direction.”
He adds: “I have my eyes on being the world champion and I’m going to make it happen, one way or another. I feel like I’m still young in this sport, I feel like I’m maturing as a fighter. Right now I’m hitting my stride and I feel like I’m a dangerous opponent for anybody.
“I can beat every lightweight on the UFC roster, no doubt in my mind, and I’ve dedicated all my time, my effort and hard work to get this far. When I sit back and think about it and look at it, it really shows me that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.
“If I can come this far, there’s no reason I can’t keep on going. I’ve come a long way and I feel like I still have a long way to go, but it’s all definitely attainable and reachable. I have the ultimate belief in myself. I’m going to be the world champion.”
His pursuit of the UFC lightweight title could potentially bring Poirier back into McGregor’s path before long. A fight between the Dubliner and reigning lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez is rumoured to be in the works to headline UFC 205 in New York on 12 November.
Poirier has never shied away from his desire to eventually avenge his loss to McGregor, but if Alvarez is the man he needs to defeat in order to get his hands on the lightweight belt, that’s fine with the American Top Team fighter too.
“I believe right now if I get in the cage with Eddie Alvarez, I’ll take the belt,” Poirier told FOX Sports this week. “I feel like I’m going to be the world champion and it’s going to be soon.”
While Poirier is a fighter in form, Johnson (16-10) is a man looking to rediscover some. With consecutive wins against Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, Melvin Guillard and Edson Barboza, the 30-year-old was heading for the top of the lightweight division until his progress was halted in the second half of last year by decision defeats to Beneil Dariush and Nate Diaz.
Bringing an end to Poirier’s hot streak this weekend would be an ideal way to bounce back.
UFC Fight Night 94 (Saturday, 17 September)
Main card (BT Sport 2, 3am)
Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Johnson
Uriah Hall vs. Derek Brunson
Evan Dunham vs. Rick Glenn
Roan Carneiro vs. Kenny Robertson
Chris Wade vs. Islam Makhachev
Chas Skelly vs. Maximo Blanco
Prelims (UFC Fight Pass and BT Sport 2, 1am)
Gabriel Benítez vs. Sam Sicilia
Augusto Montaño vs. Belal Muhammad
Antônio Carlos Júnior vs. Leonardo Augusto Guimarães
José Alberto Quiñonez vs. Joey Gomez
Early prelims (UFC Fight Pass, 12am)
Erick Montaño vs. Randy Brown
Alejandro Pérez vs. Albert Morales
