Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is looking forward to this weekend’s UFC 291 headlining ‘BMF’ title fight between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje and he’s given his thoughts on who he thinks will emerge victorious on the night.
“It’s going to be a fun one,” Volkanovski stated on his YouTube channel. “Dustin Poirier is the favorite, not a massive favorite but he is the favorite by a bit. Gaethje being the underdog. Obviously, they already fought, and I feel like the fight does go pretty similar.
“If I had to lean toward someone, it would have to be Dustin Poirier. I think he’s a bit more tidier. Early on, this is the thing with Dustin, Dustin will put a bit of that pressure. He will put himself in danger a little bit.
“I think as the fight goes, that benefits Dustin 100 percent. I think he does get better as the fight goes. I think he gets a bit more calculated. He gets better reads and he’s better with his combos as the fight goes later.
“I’m going to have to go towards Dustin to win this one. I think he has more ways of winning. I can see him actually getting a submission. Maybe hurting him, a little bit of a scramble, maybe getting a finish. I know Gaethje’s got that wrestling, but I mean as he’s hurt I feel like that could happen.
“This one’s a tough fight, a tough one to pick. Obviously Gaethje can make the adjustments and fight the right fight because he looked great in his last fight. He’s not bad in five-round fights either, but I feel like as the fight goes Dustin is going to have his way more. He’s shown that time and time again.”
