Dustin Poirier predicts fight against Gaethje would be a collision course

Dustin Poirier anticipated facing Justin Gaethje again; the rematch will take place on Saturday at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City for the vacant BMF title.

“When they called me about Justin potentially being the opponent, there were those butterflies, that anxiety that hit me right away, and it was like, ‘We’ve got to do this,’” Poirier said at the UFC 291 media day. “It was five years ago [when] I beat him, I’ve done great things, he’s done great things, and we’ve just been on a collision course, it seems, to do it again.

“No. 2 and No. 3 – No. 1 is fighting the champ, so it just makes sense in the division, as well.”

Poirier was successful in stopping the other former interim lightweight champion during their first encounter in the fourth round. The stars were in alignment for another fight after Gaethje defeated Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 in March and after he defeated Michael Chandler at UFC 281 in November.

Poirier and Gaethje had seen and done everything in their respective careers up to this point, with the exception of winning the undisputed lightweight title. In the main event of UFC 294 in October, Islam Makahchev and Charles Oliveira squared off for the second time. The winner of Saturday's main event will probably face the victor of that title fight.

Poirier is aware of the potential stakes, but he isn't planning that far ahead. Everyone who knows "The Diamond," including his family, friends, and supporters, is aware of the nature of the fight that will take place on Saturday night.

“Everyone knows what this is, and I’m willing to go there,” Poirier said. “I think that’s where I do my best work. The fact that the fans, and Justin — and he doesn’t go out of his way to portray that, he just that aura about him with the chaos, most violent — but I am that, and he knows that. Let’s go there.”