UFC legend Chael Sonnen says the ‘only way’ Dustin Poirier fights for the belt next is if Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira both win at UFC 300.
After his stunning knockout victory last weekend at UFC 299, there has been plenty of discussion in the MMA space about Dustin Poirier fighting Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt in the summer.
Breaking down the situation via his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen argues that the ‘only way’ for ‘The Diamond’ to get the next shot at the championship title is if both Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira win their fights at UFC 300.
‘Mystic’ Chael Sonnen on the ‘only way’ Poirier fights for a belt
Dustin Poirier’s comeback KO of Benoit Saint-Denis last week got the attention of fans and fighters around the world, including champion Islam Makhachev, who recently stated that he is open to defending his title against ‘The Diamond’ in June.
Yet the top of the lightweight division might look entirely different by the time the summer schedule rolls around, with Charles Oliveira taking on Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje facing Max Holloway on April 13 at UFC 300.
So, how can Dustin Poirier maneuver himself into the perfect position to get the next title shot, over the winners of those two enormous bouts?
Well, according to UFC icon Chael Sonnen, Poirier should wait out on the sidelines and hope that results at 300 go his way – just not in the manner that you might be thinking.
First, Charles Oliveira needs to defeat Arman Tsarukyan, with Sonnen expecting the Brazilian to then either refuse to fight or withdraw from a title bout against Islam:
“To the best of our knowledge, Oliveira and his opponent is the number one contender’s match, and we need to be real careful with that because you’re going to have a hard time getting Oliveira to the ring and you’re not going to get Oliveira to the ring against Islam.”
“I don’t know that I fully believe that’s a number one contender’s match, said the former title challenger, adding “If Charles wins then we still need a number one contender because he’s not going to do it.”
The second stage would require Max Holloway to defeat Justin Gaethje for the BMF title, only to then move back down to featherweight to use this silver-plated leverage to secure a fight against Ilia Topuria:
“Max then has to make it very clear that he wants to take that BMF belt and that big victory and use it for a title shot at 145lbs – which according to Max himself is exactly what he’s going to do…Only then is when you could turn to Dustin Poirier.”
Both Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway are currently underdogs in their respective UFC 300 fights, as per DraftKings Sportsbook.
“Every now and then in the sport, and it’s not often, the best thing to do is to do nothing. You take your oars out of the water, and you wait.”