Top lightweight contenders Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker will face each other inside the Octagon this weekend at UFC Vegas 4. With ‘The Diamond’ looking to get back into the winners’ column and ‘The Hangman’ attempting to maintain his winning streak, this bout promises to be a fan-friendly matchup.
Several fighters and fans alike have given their predictions for this top five lightweight clash, including current interim champ Justin Gaethje. ‘The Highlight’ — who lost to Poirier at UFC Glendale in 2018 — picked the Louisiana fighter as the winner this Saturday.
Hooker gave his take on Gaethje’s comments to Submission Radio (as transcribed by BJPenn.com) and stated that he is not surprised by the Arizona native’s pick.
“If someone knocks you out, you obviously want to see them doing well and see them succeed because it makes you look better. Like if I go in there and I knock Dustin Poirier out, it kind of makes Gaethje look like a bum, so I guess he doesn’t want that.”
Gaethje’s loss against Poirier came before a career resurgence that saw him claim victories over the likes of Edson Barboza, ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, and — most notably — Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.
Nonetheless, the defeat remains fresh in the memory of many in the MMA community, and Hooker believes that it is in Gaethje’s best interest for Poirier to emerge as the winner against ‘The Hangman’,
The Kiwi also commented about his next opponent, assuring fans that he is fully prepared for the close contest that is set to take place at the UFC APEX this weekend. Hooker recognises Poirier’s knockout capability and maintains that he is equally able to turn the lights out for his main event co-protagonist.
“I think it’s a 50-50 fight, me and Poirier. I think there’s equal chance that he knocks me out or I knock him out, and I’m prepared for that kind of fight. Of course Gaethje is going to hedge his bets against a guy that flat-lined him.”
Hooker has established himself as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC lightweight division after wins over top contenders such as Gilbert Burns, Al Iaquinta, and Paul Felder. This upcoming bout between the City Kickboxing representative and a former title challenger in Poirier will surely be one for the books.
Who do you think will get the win between Dan Hooker and Dustin Poirier?
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