NEW ORLEANS – Dustin Poirier thinks Max Holloway could do better in a rematch vs. UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.
Poirier (30-10 MMA, 22-9 UFC) lost his retirement fight to BMF champion Holloway in Saturday’s UFC 318 headliner at Smoothie King Center.
Prior to beating Poirier, Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23- 8 UFC) was knocked out by Topuria for the first time in his career at UFC 308. Holloway was also dropped by Poirier in their fight, and “The Diamond” was asked if he thinks Holloway’s chin has now been compromised.
“I have a lot of finishes, Gaethje has a lot of finishes, obviously Ilia is knocking everybody out back-to-back,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “It could just be a bad run, it could be time catching up. As he continues, we’ll see. It’s tough to say because everybody is so different genetically. It’s a wild thing to try and pinpoint, but if he starts getting hurt with shots we know would never hurt him three years ago, then we can make that conclusion. I think it’s still too early. We need to see him in a few more fights.”
Holloway could be looking at a rematch with Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) next – an option UFC CEO Dana White did not rule out. If Holloway gets his wish, Poirier pointed to the rematch being at lightweight now instead of featherweight as a key factor.
“I think Max would have to change up his approach to the fight,” Poirier said. “You know, use his lateral footwork like he did with me, stay on the bike, use his length. But, man, if Ilia lands on anybody – like I said, anybody from 145 to 170, if he lands clean, I think he puts guys out. Maybe Max has a little bit more durability at ’55, coming in a little bit healthier, a little bit more hydrated on fight night. Maybe that could play a little bit into him being able to absorb the shots, but we’ll see.”
