Following his recent victory at UFC 313, Justin Gaethje has once again positioned himself for a high-profile fight. However, there’s one prominent opponent he’s not keen on facing again: Dustin Poirier, whom he has already fought twice.
These two lightweight stars have a history. Poirier won their first encounter in April 2018 with a fourth-round knockout, but Gaethje evened the score five years later at UFC 291 with a spectacular head kick knockout. Despite both fighters being at a similar stage in their careers, a potential third match has been a frequent topic among fans and media.
After defeating Rafael Fiziev this past Saturday, Gaethje revealed his reasons for not wanting to complete a trilogy with Poirier.
“No,” Gaethje stated at the post-fight press conference. “I’ve said many times, I don’t think either of our families deserve to go through that again. We are even at 1-1, and I’m content with that. If he is also okay with it, then there’s no need for a third fight.”
He further elaborated, “I think we remain contenders by defeating other fighters. If I were to beat him again, I don’t believe it would significantly elevate either of us in the contender rankings.”
When asked about who Poirier should fight next, possibly as a retirement bout, Gaethje suggested a rematch with the current lightweight champion.
“I’m not sure, that’s a good question,” Gaethje responded. “Makhachev.”
Interestingly, Poirier was moved ahead of Gaethje in the title contention after their second fight, despite losing. Poirier bounced back with a victory over rising contender Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299, which set him up for a title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in June. Makhachev defeated Poirier via fifth-round submission to retain his lightweight title.
Gaethje has previously fought for the undisputed championship twice. His hopes for a third title shot were dashed when he suffered a knockout loss against Max Holloway at UFC 300. With his recent win over Fiziev and another Fight of the Night bonus, Gaethje’s ultimate goal remains unchanged: to become the UFC lightweight champion.
“I want to fight for the belt, obviously,” Gaethje affirmed. “It’s a very different challenge compared to my last fight. They offered me a donut, I took a bite, but I need to get back to serious training if I’m going to face Makhachev.”
