VIDEO | Dustin Poirier shows off deadly striking ahead of UFC 242

Dustin Poirier is just days away from his UFC 242 headlining battle with undefeated UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is arguably the best grappler in MMA today. While Nurmagomedov will surely be looking to get his grappling going in this fight, Poirier will be keen to keep the action in the standing position, where he’d seem to have a clear advantage.

On Wednesday afternoon, at the UFC 242 open workouts, Poirier took to the stage, where he flaunted his deadly striking arsenal with one of his coaches.

Watch Poirier show off his striking in the video below (via The Mac Life):

Poirier’s slick and powerful striking skill has carried him to knockout wins in 12 of his 31 total fights, and he’ll be looking to increase that number when he battles Nurmagomedov. That being said, Nurmagomedov has authored lopsided victories over some of the best strikers in the history of the UFC lightweight division, including Conor McGregor and Edson Barboza. He’s also dominated solid strikers like Michael Johnson, Al Iaquinta and Rafael dos Anjos.

Despite the scale of the task in front of him Dustin Poirier is determined to make history as the first man to beat Khabib Nurmagomedov — and as the new, undisputed lightweight champ.

“This is going to start the reign,” Poirier told MMA Fighting recently. “This is the fight that gives me the undisputed title. But on the other side, this is the fight where I etch my name into the history books forever. Because of this win, I’m going to forever be a part of the best of the best of mixed martial arts.

“But I’m 30-years-old and I still feel like my best fights are ahead of me. I’m starting to hit my stride. This is the beginning of “’he Diamond’ reign.”

Do you think Poirier’s hands will carry him to victory at UFC 242?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/4/2019.