November 22, 2024

Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier confirmed for UFC on FOX 29 main event

Justin Gaethje faces Dustin Poirier in April.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier are getting five rounds to slug it out.

UFC president Dana White confirmed on FOX Sports 1 on Friday that the two lightweight contenders will headline a UFC on FOX show that will take place on April 14 at a location to be determined.

The bout was first reported by MMAjunkie and later confirmed by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani earlier this week.

This will be Gaethje’s second main event fight in just three appearances for the UFC.

The former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion joined the promotion in 2017 with a 17-0 record and a reputation for exciting performances — and he didn’t disappoint, authoring two Fight of the Year front-runners against Michael Johnson and Eddie Alvarez. He defeated Johnson by second-round TKO in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, but he suffered his first loss at UFC 218 this past December when Alvarez put him away with strikes in Round 3.

Poirier (22-5, 1 NC) is headlining his second consecutive UFC card and fourth overall. He is 6-1 with one no-contest in his past eight outings, most recently picking up a win over Anthony Pettis in the UFC Norfolk main event when the former lightweight champion succumbed in the third round to a rib injury.

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