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UFC 287 is blasting off this Saturday (April 8th) from the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, FL. Not only will we be getting the next installment of the saga between the UFC middleweight champ, Alex Pereira—and his nemesis, Israel Adesanya—but we will also be seeing the desk analyst debut for the promotion’s former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier.
As first reported by MMAJunkie, Dustin Poirier will be joining UFC veteran turned MMA coach Din Thomas on the UFC 287 post-fight show. Obviously, Poirier has a plethora of in-cage experience to pull from, with a record of 29-7-1 that dates back to his debut in May of 2009. That career has been comprised of bouts against some of the very best fighters to ever grace the featherweight and lightweight divisions, sliding ‘The Diamond’ into an analyst role seems like a no-brainer.
Dustin Poirier wasn’t always so media savvy
Way back in the WEC days, the pre-Conor McGregor 1 days, there was a time when the longtime top contender was not interested in doing media, and was only concerned with the fighting side of things. Since then, however, Poirier has really embraced the attention, and has become one of the most respected voices in the MMA community. He was one of the very few UFC fighters that was bold enough to publicly comment on Dana White’s domestic assault incident. Now, the UFC superstar is gearing up to openly analyze the matchups that happen this Saturday night.
Having the gift of gab is one of the biggest assets a fighter can have to enhance their brand, as well as their finances. Guys like Michael Bisping, Chael Sonnen, and Tito Ortiz made their careers out of successfully using their words to wage war and generate interest. Not to mention Conor McGregor owning some of the most iconic sound bites in MMA history. Fans can even see the likes of Georges St-Pierre and Bas Rutten, and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson commentating Karate Combat events.
Public speaking is a top fear for many
Being able to eloquently articulate ones thoughts and ideas in front of a large audience is not something everyone can do. It sounds easy; it’s not. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, 75% of people rank ‘glossophobia,’ or fear of public speaking, as their number one fear. That means people would rather die than talk on a public platform. Commentators, announcers, and analysts don’t get enough credit for doing what they do. Much like judging and refereeing, they’re thankless jobs because if they’re done right, then nobody really notices.
Shout out to Dustin Poirier for exploring a new aspect of the MMA game. I know I’m looking forward to seeing what he will add to the broadcast.
Poirier has been out of competition since a third round submission victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 281 in November of last year. Although the Louisiana native was briefly connected to a potential fight against Beneil Dariush, Poirier later walked back his interest in the matchup. More recently, he’s voiced his interest in a potential rematch against Justin Gaethje, following Gaethje’s recent win over Rafael Fiziev.
UFC 287 lineup:
Main card:
- Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya: Middleweight Title
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal: Welterweight
- Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez: Bantamweight
- Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio: Welterweight
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez: Bantamweight
Prelims:
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Chris Curtis: Middleweight
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Luana Pinheiro: Strawweight
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joseph Pyfer: Middleweight
- Karl Williams vs. Chase Sherman: Heavyweight
- Lupita Godinez vs. Cynthia Calvillo: Strawweight
- Trey Ogden vs. Ignacio Bahamondes: 160-pounds
- Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia: Featherweight
- Sam Hughes vs. Jaqueline Amorim: Strawweight
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