Dustin Poirier believes Justin Gaethje is on his way to a shortened career.
This Saturday (April 14), Poirier and Gaethje will do battle in the main event of UFC Glendale. The lightweight tilt will take place inside the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The bout may put the winner in prime position to fight for gold or a number one contender bout.
Both men have finishing abilities and many believe the match-up has the potential to nab “Fight of the Night” honors. Taking it a step forward, many also feel it has the potential to become 2018’s “Fight of the Year.” The bout will air live on FOX.
Gaethje has been known for his ability to take damage as well as dish it out. “The Highlight” is almost guaranteed to eat a few clean shots, but usually emerges victorious. He suffered defeat for the first time in his career, falling to Eddie Alvarez via knockout.
Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Poirier said Gaethje’s style will end up being his downfall in the long run:
“It’s not (a sustainable style), and I said that when he was with World Series of Fighting. I’m good friends with (ATT coach) Mike Brown, who’s also an MMA mastermind. He understands fighting and understands styles and matchup, and I’ve told him that before, that this guy is going to have to switch his fighting style or he’s going to have a short career. He’s going to have a bunch of fun paydays and a bunch of memorable fights, but it’s not going to last. Once it starts going downhill, it’s going to go down fast for him, fighting like that. Of course he’s going to catch guys here and there, win some bonuses, and like I said, have some great fights that people are going to remember. And it seems like that’s what he’s fighting for. He loves that, and that’s awesome.”
In his last outing, Poirier defeated former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. “The Diamond” won the bout via third-round TKO. In the bout prior, he and Alvarez fought to a no contest after “The Underground King” landed two illegal knees.
Prior to his first loss, Gaethje had a perfect record of 18-0. His UFC debut was a successful one, finishing Michael Johnson in the second round. Gaethje remains high up on the UFC’s lightweight rankings at number six and he’ll be looking to knock “The Diamond” off that fifth spot.
Will Justin Gaethje’s fighting style shorten his career?
