Dustin Poirier has consistently proven himself to be one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division’s most violent talents.
“The Diamond” lived up to that reputation in the UFC on Fox 29 headliner in Glendale, Arizona, as he stopped former World Series of Fighting champion Justin Gaethje 33 seconds into the fourth round of a wildly entertaining slugfest. Not only did the victory propel Poirier past the offensive-minded Gaethje in our 155-pound rankings, but it sets him up nicely for a significant bout down the road. While it might not be champion Khabib Nurmagomedov as he requested in his Octagon interview, with just one defeat in his last nine outings, Poirier is at least on the outskirts of the title discussion.
Elsewhere, John Moraga continued his resurgence in the flyweight division, as he dispatched fellow former title challenger Wilson Reis in a preliminary affair at UFC on Fox 29. “Chicano” John has now won three straight bouts at 125 pounds and he moves from No. 10 to No. 8 in our flyweight poll.
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