UFC President Dana White has revealed the main card for UFC 291 on July 29th, and it’s stacked.
UFC 291 is going to be headlined by Dustin Poirier against Justin Gaethje, per Dana White’s announcement yesterday on social media. Poirier and Gaethje have fought each other before, back in April 2018 at UFC Fight Night in Glendale, Arizona. The fight is etched in many fans’ memory as it was a very close affair in which both men left everything in the octagon. On that night, both fighters were rewarded for their efforts by winning the fight of the night bonus, leaving the arena with an extra fifty thousand dollars. Poirier went on to win the fight via technical knockout in the fourth.
Some people have pointed out online that there may be better places to host a fight between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje than Salt Lake City. This is due to the high altitude and the impact that could have on the fighter’s ability to deliver the fast-paced, high-output slugfest we all hope for.
Utah was the venue for UFC 278, which saw Kamaru Usman’s long reign as welterweight champion end against the United Kingdom’s Edwards. ‘Rocky’ told Michael Bisping’s ‘Believe You Me’ podcast that the altitude in Salt Lake played a part in his perceived, lacklustre performance against Usman. Although Edwards won the fight with a head kick which coined the famous phrase, ‘Pound-for-pound, headshot, dead!’, he was behind on all three judges’ scorecards and by a considerable distance.
Altitude may not be a factor for Poirier vs. Gaethje fight as it’s one of those fights where most outcomes wouldn’t be considered a surprise. Both fighters have proven they belong at the very top on multiple occasions over the years, and you’d have to go quite far back in the history books to find a dull fight that either of these two have been involved in. Given each fighter’s striking abilities and willingness to engage on the feet, the fight is just as likely to go to the final bell as it is to end in an abrupt knockout.
BMF title on the line
Over the last few years, the UFC’s broadcast deals have gotten more and more fruitful as they have moved from Spike TV to Fox, and now ESPN. As the deals got more significant, so did the demand for fights. With the UFC now putting on shows most weeks, they cannot always put a UFC title on the line for pay-per-view events.
This was the case at UFC 244 when Masvidal took on Nate Diaz. A mega fight in the sense that both fighters were huge draws for the organization, but neither held an official UFC belt, hence the creation of the Baddest MotherF—– belt (BMF). Masvidal won via technical knockout (doctor stoppage) in round three, and the belt was presented to him by none other than Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
The newly created title split opinion within the MMA community. Its supporters felt the BMF title was fun and had the perfect fighters in Masvidal and Diaz contesting for it. Others thought it was too gimmicky, not legitimate, and even a little cringe-worthy.
The BMF title has never been defended, and since Masvidal retired after his recent defeat against Gilbert Burns, a new champion will be crowned at UFC 291.
Interestingly, both Poirier and Gaethje come across as the kind of characters who would not be interested in holding such a title. It is likely that both ‘The Diamond’ and ‘The Highlight’ are financially secure thanks to their star power and previous pay-per-view successes. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that both are still in the fight game because they want to have one last run at the lightweight title. Would a BMF title help towards securing a title shot? Unlikely. Both men are close enough to a title shot regardless o.
Altitude or not, BMF title or not, the rematch announcement between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje is welcome news.
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