Dustin Poirier believes win over Khabib will cement him as UFC lightweight GOAT

At UFC 242 on September 7, UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier will attempt to do what 27 other fighters have failed to do and defeat undisputed UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

If he is successful on this mission, he believes he’ll cement himself as the best lightweight to ever compete in the UFC.

“I think with a win over Khabib, I cement myself as the best lightweight to ever fight in the UFC, if you look at my last four, five fights, that run of former and current world champions,” Poirier told ESPN in a recent interview (transcript via MMA News). “And then if I go out there and beat a guy who’s never been defeated in 27 fights, it’s safe to say I might be one of the best lightweight to ever put on a pair of 4-ounce gloves. That’s what I want my legacy to be.”

While fighters like Benson Henderson, BJ Penn, Anthony Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos and Tony Ferguson might beg to differ on this comment from Dustin Poirier, Poirier’s logic is fairly sound.

Since returning the UFC lightweight division after a lengthy stint at featherweight, he’s defeated top-flight foes like Max Holloway (the current featherweight champ), Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller, Bobby Green, Joe Duffy and more. He certainly deserves a place in the lightweight GOAT debate.

If Dustin Poirier defeats Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 this September, where do you think he’ll rank amongst the sports best lightweights?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/14/2019.