SALT LAKE CITY – Justin Gaethje knows it’ll be something of a coin toss when he steps in the octagon with Dustin Poirier again in the UFC 291 main event, but he’s going to do everything in his power to sway the result his way.
After suffering a fourth-round TKO loss to Poirier (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) in their initial encounter in the 2018 Fight of the Year, Gaethje (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) will get his shot at revenge in Saturday’s “BMF” title headliner, which takes place at Delta Center and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.
Gaethje has had nearly five years to sit on that defeat and build on his skillset. Over that time, he thinks he’s put himself in the best possible position to win this rematch.
“I’ve accepted that this is a 50/50 fight in my mind,” Gaethje told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC 291 media day. “With the chance at retribution, it’s been driving me every day to work harder. … I think I have to be more technical no matter what. Obviously, I’m willing to fight fire with fire. That’s what we do in this game. But I’m going to try to be as methodical as possible and make no mistakes. At this level, it’s mistakes. Take advantage of their mistakes and make no mistakes.”
Although avenging a key loss in his career is significant for Gaethje, he’s also motivated by the stakes of this fight. With a lightweight title rematch between champ Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira set for UFC 294 in October, Gaethje thinks he’s likely got a title shot in store with a win, and has no current intention of defending the “BMF” strap.
“I think this is No. 2 vs. No. 3, (and) No. 1 is fighting the champion in October, then we’re going to fight the winner of that, the winner of this fight,” Gaethje said. “The aspirations are the championship belt. I think this catapults me right to that. I won’t be looking to defend that. If I have the choice, it’s going to be going for that championship belt.”
Ultimately, this fight with Poirier at UFC 291 is what drives Gaethje to continue competing. It doesn’t get much bigger than this, and he is well aware of that reality, and the importance of getting his hand raised this time around.
“I think this fight gives you that feel without anything on the line,” Gaethje said. “For the legacy, it’s huge. First it’s championship belts, second is legacy. Third might be money, but those first two things are very important. We’re all trying to create a legacy that will live well past our time. That’s been my goal since Day 1.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
