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This Saturday, according to Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, more than just a belt is at stake.
The main event of UFC 291 takes place at Salt Lake City's Delta Centre and is a rematch of the thrilling battle between the lightweights that Poirier won by knockout in the fourth round in April 2018 at UFC Glendale. The question of whether fighting for the "BMF" championship this time around makes the clash even more significant was put to Poirier and Gaethje at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday.
“I’ve seen it on TV and it’s beautiful,” Gaethje said. “It’s going to look great on the wall. This does a lot for our legacy. We all dream of creating a legacy that will live on forever, so this is part of that, this is a huge statement.”
Gaethje's view was shared by Poirier, who promised to put a second BMF belt to the American Top Team trophy cabinet after Jorge Masvidal claimed the inaugural crown in 2019.
“That’s what it is,” Poirier said. “This is a legacy fight. We have one of these sitting in my gym and this one’s going right next to it.”
It's unclear where a victory for Poirier or Gaethje places them in the rankings outside of becoming the next fighter to hold the Bad Motherf***** title, however a rematch for the lightweight title is still a possibility. Even if another piece of silverware will be on the line on Saturday, Poirier and Gaethje will continue to go for that reward.