"I can finish him again": Dustin Poirier aims knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 291

Utah [US], June 6 : Former interim champion Dustin Poirier has plans to knock out Justin Gaethje again at UFC 291. The two UFC Lightweights are clashing in a rematch in the main event of the UFC 291 card on July 30 for the BMF title.

"I can finish him again, 100 per cent, I can finish anybody in the world at 155 pounds," Poirier stated as per UFC's official Youtube channel.

Porier believes that Gaethje has improved exceptionally well since their first meeting, but he is still convinced that he can stop the Highlight (Gaethje) and repeat what transpired in their first meeting.

"I just have to be on, in the right mental space, ready to perform. It's 25 minutes to get it done and July 29, bro, I'm going to be brilliant in there, man, I'm telling you." Poirier added.

The two Lightweights have had similar paths with Interim title victories and even identical losses in their title fights against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.

Both the fighters are fan favourites and put on a show every time they fight. In their last meeting back in 2018 Poirier bagged the victory via TKO in the fourth round. The fight was a heavy back-and-forth standup fight with Poirier ultimately overwhelming Gaethje with a barrage of punches.

Four years apart the two top lightweights have crossed paths again for the BMF title and a win will guarantee a lightweight title shot for them in the future.

The BMF title was earlier held by Poirier's teammate and welterweight icon Jorge Masvidal. Following his loss against Gilbert Burns, Masvidal announced his retirement at 287.

Justin Gaethje is coming off a win over rising contender Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 in March, while Poirier is coming off a win over Michael Chandler at UFC 281. Poirier notably has two knockout wins over UFC megastar Conor McGregor.

The co-main event of the UFC 291 card is a light heavyweight affair between former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and former middleweight champion Alex Pereira. Pereira is moving up a weight division after his last title loss at 287.