What does winning the UFC BMF belt really mean?
To Dustin Poirier, who squares off against Justin Gaethje in the UFC 291 main event Saturday (10 p.m., pay-per-view) for that belt, it means a chance to add something tangible and rare to his impressive MMA résumé.
“It definitely is [appealing],” Poirier told The Post via Zoom on Monday. “It’s part of legacy; it’s part of history, being the second fight to ever compete for this belt. I just said in an interview before, just having your name in that hat to be considered for fighting for this title is a big deal. I don’t know how many more times this belt is going to be fought for in the future, but it’s a great spot to be in.”
Poirier (29-7, 22 finishes), the former UFC interim lightweight champion who famously finished Conor McGregor twice in 2021 to win their trilogy, and Gaethje (24-4, 20 finishes) are no-brainer picks to vie for the promotion’s one-off prize, which was only awarded once before when Jorge Masvidal defeated Nate Diaz at Madison Square Garden in 2019.
The first time the two faced off, Poirier stopped Gaethje early in the fourth round of a wild battle that earned fight of the year praise from media outlets in 2018.
Dating back to Poirier’s decision victory over Jim Miller at Barclays Center in 2017, Poirier has earned Fight of the Night honors from the UFC in all six bouts he won that lasted into the third round.
Although Gaethje’s UFC debut came a few months after Poirier defeated Miller, he already has skyrocketed up the leaderboard in terms of bonus money with seven Fight of the Night and four Performance of the Night honors.
Even with heightened expectations for the rematch being up to 25 minutes of epic combat sports violence, Poirier maintains there’s no pressure to deliver for fans because his thrilling style of fighting comes naturally.
“I don’t think anybody, whoever is gonna fight for that title has to change anything they do,” Poirier says. “They’re in that position fighting for the belt because of the way they fight. So that’s why we’re both in there.”
Real stakes in the lightweight division are at play here as well, with Poirier and Gaethje ranked directly behind champion Islam Makhachev and next challenger Charles Oliveira.
Their bout is scheduled for Oct. 21.
The undisputed UFC crown at 155 pounds remains the real missing piece in the careers of both Poirier and Gaethje, who have lost all of their combined four championship opportunities — twice each to Oliveira and unbeaten Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Poirier concedes that both his interim belt and the potential to add the BMF belt in Utah are “huge accomplishments” but that “the top prize is that undisputed crown.”
“I try not to look too much into the future,” Poirier says, “but I do believe this is a No. 1 contender fight, for sure.”
Both Poirier and Gaethje are 34, but each has significant mileage on his tires after more than a decade in the sport.
They debuted in MMA in 2009 and 2011, respectively.
A teammate of Poirier, UFC lightweight Renato Moicano, posited on his YouTube channel that, as a pair of highly accomplished athletes either he or Gaethje could opt to retire if either were to come out on the wrong end of the fight.
Poirier said he wasn’t “really putting a lot of energy into” whether he would fight beyond this weekend regardless of the result, adding that all he needs is the drive to keep fighting to extend his career.
“Even here Saturday night, I’m not doing this because I have to, I’m doing this because I want to,” Poirier said. “So as long as the want is still there, you guys ain’t getting rid of me.”