UFC 236 | Dustin Poirier confident he can finish Max Holloway again

In the main event of UFC 236, Dustin Poirier is set to fight for the interim lightweight title against Max Holloway. It will be the rematch of their first fight, which saw Poirier beat Holloway by submission in the first round.

Since that fight, the two have gone their separate ways with Holloway staying at featherweight and becoming the champion, while Poirier moved up to lightweight and has become a top contender.

Even though the first fight happened way back 2012, Poirier is confident he has what it takes to beat Holloway once again.

“He seems really well-rounded. I have a lot of belief in myself and my ability to make things happen in combat and in the fight,” Poirier said on MMAJunkie Radio. “All I need is one — one mistake — for him to dip his head the wrong way or to grab me the wrong way. Or to get up off the ground the wrong way or take a shot. I can finish the fight anywhere.

“I feel like I’m very well-balanced and there’s not a place the fight can go that I don’t have an answer to something he’s doing. All I need is one mistake or one opportunity, and I’m going to take full advantage of it. I can finish the fight again.”

If he does indeed finish Holloway again, Poirier will make his dream come true of becoming a UFC champion.

“I just feel like I’m different than a lot of these guys,” he said. “When I set my mind to something, I find ways to make it happen by any means. Since I was 17, 18-years-old, I set the goal to be a world champion in mixed martial arts, and in my amateur career, I won some small belts. In my pro career, I won some small belts, and now we’re at the pinnacle. It’s time to collect this one.”

However, Poirier knows winning the belt will not be easy as Holloway is riding a 13-fight winning streak. But, he is confident in his ability and knows he matches up well with Holloway which will make for an exciting fight.

“It’s going to be an incredible fight,” Poirier said. “I’m going to leave it all out there, and I’m coming home with gold. I just know it. I feel it in my bones.

“Tune in – it’s going to be great.”

Who do you think will win the fight between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/21/2019