Dustin Poirier could be next in line for a lightweight title shot after current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov goes up against Conor McGregor, and he has weighed in with his prediction for who will win that pivotal clash at UFC 229 in October.
“I’m kinda leaning toward Khabib,” Poirier said on ‘The MMA Hour.’ “I just don’t know if he’s going to stop Conor or whatnot, but I’m thinking he’s going to get the victory.”
That being said, Poirier isn’t completely ruling out the chance that McGregor could emerge victorious, having had first-hand experience of just how dangerous ‘The Notorious’ can be – suffering a first round TKO loss at his hands back in 2014.
“I mean, he has a huge chance. He’s got great timing, great judge of distance. We’ll just see if the takedown defense holds up and the cardio holds up. That’s all he has to do. The openings will be there, but he just has to stand the test of the wrestling and the conditioning, the physical part that Khabib’s going to put on early in the fight.”
Before Poirier can face the winner he will have his own blockbuster fight to deal with however, with ‘The Diamond’ set to face Nate Diaz at UFC 230.
