Dustin Poirier Defends BMF Belt Inclusion for Justin Gaethje Rematch at UFC 291

Poirier thinks that he and Gaethje both deserve some extra recognition for their all-action fighting styles.

Drew Beaupré | May 22, 2023

Dustin Poirier Defends BMF Belt Inclusion for Justin Gaethje Rematch at UFC 291 /

Dustin Poirier knows that it doesn’t hold the same value as an actual UFC title belt, but he’s still excited that the promotion’s BMF belt will be on the line when he and Justin Gaethje meet in the main event of UFC 291.

Dana White set the MMA world into a frenzy last week when he dropped a massive list of fight announcements that included the entire main card for UFC 291, which will take place in Salt Lake City on July 29. The card will be headlined by a rematch between top lightweights Poirier and Gaethje, and the winner will walk away with Jorge Masvidal’s recently vacated BMF title.

The news that the UFC is reviving the BMF title for UFC 291 came as a surprise to some fans, but Poirier defended its inclusion as part of the Gaethje matchup when Ariel Helwani asked him about it on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.

Ariel Helwani and Dustin Poirier talk BMF Belt.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/7KR00Ezmwe
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 22, 2023

“This fight I think could headline without a BMF title, this is an exciting fight," Poirier said. "But that just adds more fun to it to me, you know? I would love to have that strap up there in my living room, another accolade.”

Gaethje and Poirier are both former interim lightweight title holders that came up short in their respective bids to become outright champion, however they’re arguably the two most exciting fighters on the UFC roster and already put on one incredible bout in their 2018 meeting.

Considering all of the post-fight bonuses they’ve both accumulated, “The Diamond” thinks it’s only fitting that there’s an extra incentive involved for his rematch with Gaethje.

“I’m not gonna walk around like I’m the undisputed world champion if I get this belt wrapped around my waist in July. But it’s fun, and if you look at our track record of competing for Fight of the Years over the last – for me, over the last 10, 11 years – we have a lot of huge fights that have been voted on for Fight of the Year. One was against each other. Just look at the bonuses and the Fight of the Nights and the carnage that me and him both display in there, it makes sense to have something fun like that.”

The bout between Gaethje and Poirier would be the clear frontrunner for the UFC 291 main event even without the inclusion of the BMF title, but the rest of the main card is also stacked with a number of former champions and title challengers looking to fight their way back to the top of their respective divisions.

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Published May 22, 2023