UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis: Two dangerous lightweights back at their preferred weight guarantee drama

UFC commentator and analyst Dan Hardy looks ahead to this weekend’s event as the UFC Octagon touches down in Norfolk, Virginia

Poirier (L) and Pettis clash this weekend (Getty)

The UFC’s Octagon rolls into Norfolk, Virginia, this weekend with a card headlined by two dangerous lightweights. Former lightweight champion, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, continues his campaign back in his preferred division after a spell in the featherweight bracket.

His featherweight efforts gained him a win over the highly-respected Charles Oliveira and a third round loss at UFC 2016 last December, in a title attempt against current champion Max Holloway. The struggle to get down to the lower weight class didn’t suit his explosive style and now, back at lightweight, he has looked as good as ever.

His opponent this weekend will be eighth-ranked Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier. Much like Pettis, Poirier moved back up to lightweight, but after a much longer run at featherweight. He also found that the weight no longer allowed him to fight at his true potential and so stepped back up.

It’s proven to be the right decision. He’s won five of six, with his only loss coming in a firefight with Michael Johnson in September 2016. Taking out Anthony Pettis will solidify him as a championship contender and put him in a position where he can call for a top five opponent in his next outing.

Both of these fighters are talented mixed martial artists with a good variety of wins by submission as well as knockout. It is likely that Pettis will prefer to contend at a distance, whereas Poirier will try to force a boxing match with a little clinch work mixed in. The speed and precision of Anthony’s kicking game is the real threat if Poirier is struggling to coral the elusive Pettis. Smashing his feet and shins into the ribs of his foe is a consistent and winning tactic that Pettis has employed throughout his career.

Dustin, on the other hand, is a heavy hitter with good boxing fundamentals. He can punch his way into the clinch, wrestle well and then punch his way back out as the fighters break. Fighting at an aggressive pace and closing distance with speed would be a wise approach for Poirier. Many of Pettis’ Taekwondo style kicks can be stifled with a straightforward approach, as they require spinning, or an arcing trajectory. At least that’s what we’ve seen from Pettis so far in his UFC career.

When we’ve seen Pettis struggle, it’s been because he’s been drowned by a wrestling-heavy gameplan in which he has found himself crowded, smashed into the fence and controlled. If Poirier can replicate some of that, he will be able to sap the energy of Pettis and perhaps slow down those lightning fast strikes.

Pettis lost the Lightweight strap to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185 (Getty)

Pettis will look to circle, constantly changing his direction and trying to make Dustin walk onto a kick. The worst kind of strike to get hit by is a perfectly-placed body kick. It shuts your body down while you are still conscious enough to be aware of your opponent celebrating the victory.

That helpless feeling is what Dustin will be trying to avoid and Pettis will be trying to deliver. Every fighter in the UFC’s lightweight division is incredibly dangerous. I can’t think of another division where the top 15 is so competitive. These two athletes are a perfect example of how good this lightweight division is and one of them will be making an example of the other this weekend and trying to climb a little closer to the divisional gold crown. By the time they enter the Octagon we will have already been treated to an undercard of excellent bouts.

The co-main event and the main card opener are the two that really stand out to me, mainly because both fights feature real veterans of the game with proven skills.

Poirier's last fight was ruled a No Contest (Getty)

As the main portion of the card begins, fan favourites Clay Guida and Joe Lauzon will square off in what could be a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate. Guida fights at a furious pace and Lauzon has a very free-flowing and reactive game. I expect Guida to be the one dictating the speed and range of the fight and Lauzon trying to catch him in a cheeky submission in the chaos.

Both men are incredibly experienced, bringing to the Octagon the experience of a combined 88 professional fights between them. Their risk-taking, all-action style that we’ve come to expect from both fighters is exactly why people are as excited about this bout as any other on the card. The only other obvious contender for ‘Fight of the Night’ is the co-main event between Matt “The Immortal” Brown and Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez. Again, this fight is likely to be crazy from the first bell.

Sanchez is known for his berserker approach, which he seems to embrace more and more with each outing. Brown, on the other hand, is known for his face first brawling style and his “Immortal” durability. Brown has already spoken of retirement and Diego must be nearing that day as well.

This is going to be a roll-of-the-dice war, with both fighters trying to seize the glorious victory and avoid a disappointing defeat with every punch thrown. The only other thing to consider is the ability of Sanchez to ground a fighter and control from the top position, but I think the size advantage of Brown will negate that possibility.

Watch UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis live on BT Sport 2 from 1am GMT early on Sunday, November 12 or catch the Early Prelims exclusively on UFC Fight Pass from 11:30pm GMT on Saturday