What’s next for Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier after UFC 291?

In the main event of UFC 291, the vacant BMF title was up for grabs as Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier were set for their highly-anticipated rematch.

Gaethje entered the fight coming off a majority decision win over Rafael Fiziev back in March to return to the win column. In the fight prior, he lost to Charles Oliveira for the lightweight belt.

Poirier, meanwhile, entered the scrap coming off a submission win over Michael Chandler. Before that, like Gaethje, Poirier lost to Oliveira for the lightweight belt.

Ultimately, it was Gaethje who won by second-round KO as he landed a perfectly timed head kick that sent Poirier to the canvas unconscious. Now, after UFC 291, here is what I think should be next for both fighters involved in the BMF title fight.

Justin Gaethje

Justin Gaethje exacted revenge on Dustin Poirier after he landed a beautiful head kick in the second round. The first round was back-and-forth as both men landed good shots. But, Gaethje had the final blow to become the BMF champion.

With the win over Poirier, it seems certain that Gaethje’s next fight will be for the UFC lightweight title as he will face the winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira. With that fight happening in October, it’s likely Gaethje won’t fight again until February or March. It will also be hi third chance of trying to become the undisputed UFC champion.

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier was looking for a final chance at earning a lightweight title shot at UFC 291. After winning the first round on two of three judges’ scorecards, he got caught by a head kick.

After the loss, Poirier admitted he wasn’t sure what would be next for him. He said he wasn’t too interested in fighting up-and-comers. With that, who he fights next is up in the air. There is a chance for the fourth fight with Conor McGregor. But, I’m going off the board and saying the next time ‘The Diamond’ steps into the Octagon he will face Nate Diaz.

Diaz is set to box Jake Pual on Saturday but he has said he wants to fight in the UFC again after this boxing match. Poirier and Diaz have been booked before and it is a fight that deserves to happen sometime next year.