Honorary Undisputed Belt? Israel Adesanya Demands Special Recognition for Dustin Poirier

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya talks about veteran Dustin Poirier's legacy ahead of UFC 318.

Honorary Undisputed Belt? Israel Adesanya Demands Special Recognition for Dustin Poirier

Israel Adesanya believes Dustin Poirier should be respected as a former UFC undisputed champion (via X)

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Dustin Poirier is set to enter the UFC Octagon this Saturday for a thrilling trilogy fight against veteran Max Holloway. The symbolic BMF title will be up for grabs, generating enormous excitement and hype throughout the MMA community. Additionally, Poirier has officially announced that this highly anticipated bout will mark his final appearance before retirement from professional MMA competition.

Poirier is a true legend, having spent over thirteen years in the UFC while building a massive global fan following. Despite showcasing incredible skills throughout his career, Poirier unfortunately never captured the undisputed championship belt in the organization. Recently, former UFC champion Israel Adesanya shared his thoughts on Poirier’s remarkable legacy during a detailed discussion on his YouTube channel.

He is a champion, no matter what. He’s got a belt at his house, at his gym, sitting there to represent him as a champion at one point. People who try to say ‘you never became the undisputed’. No, when you’re the interim champion, you’re the [expletive] champion. You’d be blessed to have half the career that Dustin’s had in the UFC.

Israel Adesanya via his YouTube Channel

Throughout his decorated career, ‘The Diamond’ only captured the interim lightweight belt at UFC 236 after defeating Max Holloway. Poirier has fought for the UFC lightweight championship three times, but unfortunately lost each time against elite championship-level opponents.

His first title opportunity came against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242, where he lost via third-round rear-naked choke submission. The second attempt was against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269, ending in another third-round rear-naked choke defeat after early success.

Poirier’s third title shot happened at UFC 302 against Islam Makhachev last year. Despite stuffing most of the takedown attempts, he lost by fifth-round submission after the Dagestani star aggressively pushed for a finish. Accepting his legacy without an undisputed title, Poirier remains determined to retire victoriously and close his incredible career on top.

UFC veteran predicts Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier previously failed to win the symbolic BMF title when he suffered a brutal knockout loss against Justin Gaethje. Now, Poirier has a golden opportunity to redeem himself by capturing the BMF belt in his trilogy fight against Max Holloway. Poirier has already defeated Max Holloway twice in their previous exciting encounters, giving him significant psychological and tactical advantages.

Dustin Poirier might lose against Max Holloway next
Dustin Poirier might lose against Max Holloway next 9Via X)

Due to previous victories and recent performances, Dustin Poirier enters the trilogy fight as the betting favourite with strong public support. However, former champion Israel Adesanya believes Holloway possesses a better opportunity to win based on his evolving striking skills. Adesanya explained that Holloway’s unique fighting style and recent improvements make him a dangerous threat.

I’m going with Max in this fight. I think Max will be more defensively sound, he’s not going to get gun shy. But he’ll be smarter now with the weight, because Max has taken a lot of shots and the chin only holds up for so long. Lightweight Max, I still think can knock out Dustin Poirier, and this time could be different.

Israel Adesanya contiued.

Holloway won the BMF title in spectacular fashion by knocking out Justin Gaethje with a stunning fifth-round finish. However, the ‘Blessed’ suffered the first knockout loss of his career when Ilia Topuria brutally finished him in a recent featherweight clash. Now, determined to bounce back stronger, Holloway seeks redemption by reclaiming the BMF belt in his high-stakes trilogy fight.

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