The UFC has an event scheduled for every Saturday in the month of September, and we now know who will be headlining the September 17th show in Hidalgo, Texas. Michael Johnson put the fight contract on his Instagram page, announcing to everyone that he’ll be facing Dustin Poirier.
Johnson (16-10) is on a two-fight losing steak, although his split decision loss to Beneil Dariush was deemed a controversial one. He ended 2015 with a unanimous decision defeat to Nate Diaz, which unknowingly proved to be the first major step towards Diaz getting that lucrative short-notice bout vs. Conor McGregor at UFC 196. “The Menace” has notable wins over Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, Edson Barboza, and is the only man to defeat Tony Ferguson inside the Octagon.
Poirier (20-4) returned to lightweight after his knockout loss to Conor McGregor and has looked nothing short of spectacular. “The Diamond” dismantled Bobby Green to open up the UFC 199 main card, giving him his 3rd knockout win in his last 4 bouts. Only Joseph Duffy has gone the distance with Poirier since Poirier left featherweight. While this fight will be Johnson’s first five-round main event, Poirier’s last headlining role was way back in 2012, when he was choked out by Chan Sung Jung in an incredible bout at UFC on Fuel TV 3.
UFC Fight Night: Johnson vs. Poirier will be held at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, a small town located right near the US-Mexico border. The night’s main card airs live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT. For the record, this will coincide with Canelo Alvarez’s PPV main event vs. Liam Smith at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington (which is nowhere near Hidalgo), so set your DVRs accordingly.
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