Dustin Poirier: 7 Reasons Why He Could Be the UFC GOAT!

The UFC has now been around for a long time, actually 27 years to be exact. Over that time, the promotion has seen some of the greatest fighters in history enter the octagon to prove themselves. At this stage, well over 100 athletes have been able to call themselves UFC champions. And we've got a lot of things to discuss about Dustin Poirier, 7 reasons that prove that he's the UFC GOAT! Number 7, Diego Ferreira. Dustin Poirier's first lightweight bout since 2010 was a successful one, as the former featherweight contender got acclimated to his new UFC weight class with a first round stoppage of Diego Ferreira. Ferreira came out fast and the two immediately began trading punches, with Poirier landing a couple of hard blows. Ferreira proceeded to clinch with Poirier against the fence briefly and, after breaking, the exchanges began again, with both fighters getting in their fair share of shots. With under two minutes left, Poirier dropped Ferreira with a left hand and, while the Brazilian appeared to recover quickly, the diamond didn't let him off the hook, with ground strikes bringing in referee Todd McGovern to stop the bout at 345 of the opening stanza. Number 6, Bobby Green. Dustin Poirier continued his tear through the lightweight division in the main card opener, knocking out Bobby Green in the first round to make it four straight since his return to the division in 2015. Green's customary in-fight showboating and trash-talking cost him in the second minute of the first round when Poirier cracked him on the jaw and nearly finished him. Green bounced back to his feet, but the diamond kept the heat on, not allowing Green to get into gear. And, after sending the Fontana, California product to the canvas again, this time he finished the bout with referee Jason Herzog stepping in at the 253 mark. Number 5, Anthony Pettis. The UFC Fight Night main event in Norfolk was expected to be one to remember, and it was, as Dustin Poirier scored a third round stoppage of former world champion Anthony Pettis at the Ted Constance Convocation Center. ''Everyone says I slip up in big fights, but that's two champions in a row I just beat, so what's up?'' asked Poirier, who was coming off a May No Contest with Eddie Alvarez. Pettis opened up with kicks as Poirier pressured his foe, trying to get close. A minute in, Poirier got his wish and followed up with a takedown, pinning Pettis against the fence. Pettis looked for a Kimura, but wasn't able to secure it. But moments later, he swept his way off the mat and back to his feet. After a couple exchanges, Poirier tried another takedown. And while he wasn't able to get it, he jarred Pettis and cut him over the left eye, leading to some furious trading up until the end of the round. Poirier got the fight back to the mat early in round two, cutting Pettis again with an elbow. The blood was clearly bothering Pettis, but the Milwaukee native spun out of trouble and into the top position, where he fired off some elbows of his own, cutting Poirier in the process. As the crowd roared, the scrambles continued, but with under a minute left, referee Keith Peterson brought in the octagon-side physician to check Pettis' cut. After getting the green light, Pettis locked in a triangle choke, but Poirier escaped and then ended the round with a series of hard ground strikes. The bout hit the canvas in the opening minute of round three, Poirier taking Pettis back. Yet, as Pettis tried to escape, he appeared to injure his ribs, forcing him to tap out at 2-0-8 of the round. I'm a nasty dude. This is what I live for. The talking, the calling people out, acting crazy, that's not what I do. I fight and I earn it," Poirier said. Number four, Justin Gaethje. There were high expectations for the UFC Glendale main event between Dustin Poirier and Justin. And the two lightweight contenders lived up to all of them, delivering a memorable and thrilling battle that ended with a fourth-round stoppage victory for Poirier. It was no surprise that the fists and feet began flying as soon as referee Herb Dean waved the combatants together. Gaethje focused on Poirier's legs, while Poirier went upstairs, cutting Gaethje over the left eye. The pace was brutally fast, and as the round progressed, Poirier started digging to the body, which opened up headshots, allowing him to take the round. But the leg kicks of Gaethje had started taking their toll. After a continuation of the hectic first-round pace, there was a momentary break in the action early in round two when Poirier got poked in the eye, but there was no let-up once the two got back to business. And while Poirier landed several hard combinations, Gaethje walked through the punches and continued to batter the Louisiana native's right leg. Late in the round, Poirier saw a couple takedown attempts come up empty, and it was Gaethje missing, but thrilling the crowd with a flip at his foe. Arizona's Gaethje was clearly the fresher of the two entering round three, and he continued to stalk Poirier, who was cut over the eye and clearly bothered by it. With a little over three minutes left, Gaethje stunned Poirier with a punch upstairs, and as the fight went to the fence, Gaethje went on the attack. Poirier was able to buy some time, though, and he made it back to the center of the octagon where he was able to score with more hard shots. A pivotal moment came in the final minute of the round, though, when another eye poke from Gaethje cost him a point from referee Herb Dean. Number three, Eddie Alvarez. A tactical error cost former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez big in the Scotia Bank Saddledome in Calgary, as an illegal elbow took a dominant position away and gave Dustin Poirier the opening he needed to hurt and stop Alvarez in the second round of their UFC Fight Night main event rematch. This is what I do, I live for this, I will never quit in here, said Poirier, who engaged in a 2017 bout with Alvarez that ended in a controversial no contest. Alvarez invested in body strikes in the opening round, mixing in head shots when Poirier would move into range. And though Poirier had a good middle portion of the round when he worked from a long distance, Alvarez started and finished the round strong. Alvarez got in trouble early in round two when he looked for a takedown and Poirier locked in a guillotine choke, but the Philadelphian was able to get free. The two then rose for a spell before an Alvarez takedown. The former champ took Poirier's back and looked for submission, and while Poirier got free, Alvarez remained in control until an illegal 12-6 elbow drew a warning from referee Mark Goddard and a restart. In a subsequent exchange, Poirier landed a knee that hurt Alvarez, and the diamond went all in for the finish. Hurting Alvarez repeatedly, Poirier poured it on, yet Alvarez still kept swinging until he couldn't any longer, with Goddard stepping in at the 4.05 mark as Alvarez fell to the mat. 2. Nurmagomedov Believes In Him Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov does not believe Conor McGregor would have defeated Poirier at UFC 264 even if he hadn't suffered a devastating injury. Actually, he doesn't believe McGregor can beat Poirier at all. Nurmagomedov sat down for an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto to discuss some of McGregor's comments about his legacy. He also spoke about the Irishman's recent defeat at the hands of the diamond and provided some telling comments about the matchup. Nurmagomedov told Okamoto he felt the notorious one is just trying to make noise. He also said McGregor expended too much energy in the build-up to the fight and failed to get into Poirier's head. The Dagestani star appears to hint at McGregor being desperate to gain a psychological edge. Maybe McGregor sought a return to his roots as the guy who was once a two-division UFC champion rather than a fighter who has now lost three of his last four bouts. Not only did Nurmagomedov praise Poirier for being unfazed by McGregor's trash talk, but he also said Poirier presents an unwinnable matchup for McGregor. Okamoto asked Nurmagomedov about what might have happened had McGregor not suffered a broken tibia at the end of the first round. The eagle indicated the rest of the fight would have gone like much of the first round, with Poirier controlling the fight and hitting McGregor with hard shots. What's going to happen? I don't think something's going to happen. The judges gave Dustin Poirier a 10-8. Conor mauled in the first round. If they fight 100 times, Dustin is going to beat him 100 times, he said. Number 1, Outside of the UFC. While there's no denying Dustin Poirier's success inside the Octagon, what sets him apart from other UFC fighters is what he has done outside of it. For years, Poirier has converted his UFC success into a platform and a way he can help others. He has become well-known throughout the MMA community and beyond for his foundation and its many good deeds. The idea for it came honestly. Like other UFC fighters, Poirier didn't know what to do with so many fight-worn items. We would always collect his fight gloves and shorts. Maybe we can benefit somebody else by donating or maybe selling it and raising money to donate to help out others, Poirier's wife, Jolie, said in an interview. After 41 fights, it's just gross to have that many bloody pairs of gloves and shorts. That's where the idea was born, the fighter candidly admitted. So, after all, it all comes down to being a kind human being, and he's good at that as well. What do you think about Dustin Poirier? Let us know in the comments!