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24th Sep 2014

What you need to know about Conor McGregor’s UFC 178 opponent Dustin Poirier…

JOE takes a look at Dustin Poirier, the man tasked with fighting Conor McGregor...

Alan Loughnane

UFC 178 takes place on Saturday and the main Irish interest in the event will undoubtedly be the clash of Conor McGregor and American Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier.

Poirier was born in Louisiana, USA and is one of the most promising prospects in the UFC despite being just 25-years-old. The star of the brilliant film documentary called ‘Fightville’ (which is available on Netflix) is 8-2-0 in the UFC with his only losses coming to Cub Swanson and the popular Chan Sung Yung, more commonly known as the ‘Korean Zombie’. His eight victories are the most of any fighter in divisional history which proves that this guy is the real deal.

His defeat to Chan Sung Yung in 2012 won the Fight of the Night bonus in many MMA publications and sports magazines around the world for the abrasiveness of both fighters. Currently sitting 6th in the top ten of the featherweight division, Poirier has notable wins over Erik Koch as well as former McGregor opponents Max Holloway and Diego Brandao.

Poirier earned the nickname ‘The Diamond’ because he is one of the hardest men in the UFC, an opponent who won’t give up and who finishes fights. He has earned five stoppage victories, the most of any fighter in the division but he also earned the name because he is an incredibly likeable character, just look at how he relaxes after a fight.

Though he suffered a disappointing loss to the ‘Korean Zombie’, Poirier learned a lot from that defeat and along with his decision loss to Swanson, he has returned as a sharper and more rounded fighter.

The American has a destructive striking game as well as being equally comfortable on the ground, he holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has ended three of his UFC fights by submission. He defeated Diego Brandao in December last year in a similarly impressive fight to McGregor’s

Poirier dominated the fight and knocked-out Brandao in the closing seconds of the first round. In his very first UFC fight he faced then #1 contender Josh Grispi on short notice, Poirier went on to dominate the fight, winning by unanimous decision thus announcing himself to the UFC world.

In the aftermath of UFC Dublin, Poirier added his two cents about the Notorious along with a number of UFC fighters, such as Luke Barnett and Cole Miller, who claimed McGregor is getting special treatment from the UFC. They don’t believe that the Dubliner deserves to be ranked in the top ten fighters in the featherweight division or that he deserves to be getting a top ten opponent after just three UFC fights.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour back in July, Poirier said; “Right off the bat I’ve been fired up about this guy. I’ve been in this division since the WEC merged. I’ve paid my dues, and I’ve stayed quiet and busted my ass, day in, day out, won the fights I needed to win, and I’ve had some tough fights.

“I feel I need to be up there. I need to be up there where people are talking about me. [McGregor’s] name and the featherweight title should never come out of anybody’s mouth. I can’t believe the hype he’s getting.”

Take a look at the short bio below that UFC Ultimate Insider made on him a couple of weeks ago.

Poirier believes that he will be the one to stall the meteoric rise of Conor McGregor in the UFC and has stated that, “I will be the first real fight that he has ever been in.” He also proceeded to comment on the Irish MMA fans who had been harassing him on Twitter, telling them to continue to “build [McGregor] up because it’s going to make it that much sweeter when I stand over him.”

This fight will no doubt be the toughest test that McGregor has ever faced in his UFC career. Until now, McGregor has fought opponents who could not be considered top class performers in the division.

At UFC 178 this Saturday, McGregor will face a completely different animal to what he has faced so far. Poirier is one of the top contenders in the division and is arguably just a couple of wins away from earning a title shot with champion Jose Aldo. This will be a huge examination of the Dubliner’s credentials, as up until now McGregor has talked a big game but this is the fight where we will really see if he can deliver.

We can’t wait for Saturday and below is a highlight video of Poirier to get you in the mood…

Videos via DreistStudiosUFC- Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC ON FOX.

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