BREAKING | Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier official for UFC 242

By Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

At long last, it’s official. UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier will unify their titles at UFC 242. The card goes down on September 7 in Abu Dhabi.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier, UFC 242

The UFC announced this matchup as official on social media on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s signed!,” a post to the UFC Instagram page proclaimed.

Khabib Nurmagomedov will enter this fight with a flawless 27-0 record, easily one of the most impressive records in the sport. The Dagestani star was last seen in action in October, when he submitted his arch rival Conor McGregor in the fourth round of the UFC 229 main event, retaining his title in the process. In his next most recent fight, he claimed the vacant title with a decision defeat of short-notice replacement opponent Al Iaquinta. Other highlights of the Russian’s sparkling record include defeats of stars like Edson Barboza, Michael Johnson and Rafael dos Anjos.

Dustin Poirier, on the other hand, last fought at UFC 236 in April, when he pummelled UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway to a unanimous decision win. This victory, which ended Holloway’s 13-fight unbeaten streak, earned Poirier the interim lightweight strap. Other highlights of his impressive 25-5 record include recent triumphs over Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis, and Jim Miller.

This Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier title fight will, unsurprisingly, serve as the UFC 242 main event. At this stage, only a few other matchups have been confirmed for this card. Belal Muhammad will reportedly meet Takashi Sato in the welterweight division, Curtis Blaydes is set to fight Shamil Abdurakhimov at heavyweight, and Ottman Azaitar will meet Teemu Packalen at lightweight.

Who do you think will win when Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier meet in Abu Dhabi? Make your predictions in the comments section down below.

Stay tuned for further updates on UFC 242 as details emerge.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/4/2019.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Dustin Poirier Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC UFC 242