DANGEROUS FOR DUSTIN
DUSTIN POIRIER says Eddie Alvarez will be more dangerous than ever in their rematch this weekend.
They meet in a headline lightweight contest at UFC on Fox 30 in Calgary, Canada, in the early hours of Sunday.
It’s an eagerly-awaited clash following their controversial meeting in May last year.
That bout at UFC 211 was declared a ‘no contest’ by referee Herb Dean after Alvarez landed two illegal knees while Poirier was against the fence.
Alvarez (right) didn’t want a rematch and has also been embroiled in lengthy negotiations over a new contract with the UFC.
Poirier believes that it all adds up to the former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion being an even more ferocious opponent this time around.
Poirier, 29, said: “We’ve been chasing him and the UFC has been chasing him for this rematch.
“We’ve got him cornered. I believe he’s
fighting out his contract and he didn’t want this fight, so we’ve got a man doing two things he doesn’t want to do.
“I’m sure he wanted some security – he wanted a new contract, he wanted the numbers he was asking for.
“So he has a point to prove. This might be the most dangerous Eddie Alvarez we’ve ever seen. I know that, and expect that, and I’m excited about it.”
After knocking out Justin Gaethje in his last bout in December, Alvarez declared himself “the most violent man in the UFC”.
And Poirier knows he cannot underestimate him, despite being the favourite following back-to-back wins over Anthony Pettis and Gaethje.
“He is a dangerous guy when the odds are against him,” he said.
“When you hurt Eddie, that is when he is at his most dangerous.”