UFC on ESPN 12
Main card bouts at the UFC Apex (5 p.m. Saturday):
Dustin Poirier (25-6, 1 No Contest) vs. Dan Hooker (20-8), lightweights
Mike Perry (13-6) vs. Mickey Gall (6-2), welterweights
Brendan Allen (13-3) vs. Kyle Daukaus (6-0), middleweights
Gian Villante (17-11) vs. Maurice Greene (8-5), heavyweights
Sean Woodson (7-0) vs. Julian Erosa (22-9), catchweight (150 pounds)
We’re putting together a back-to-school drive, too.
It’s great to be in a position to be able to give back. I’m appreciative we have the resources and the people in place to make that happen.”
UFC President Dana
White said he’s proud of all the work Poirier and his wife have done in their community, including donations for families of law enforcement officers and building a special-needs playground for terminally-ill seven-year-old Aaron Hill to play with his friends.
“Dustin is a great athlete, but more importantly he’s a great human being,” White said. “He is a kid who works hard and is passionate about giving back to, not only his community, but to those who are less fortunate.”
Poirier’s community service will continue to be a big part of his career. But his fighting acumen is what will once again be put to the test on Saturday.
The 31-year-old had his five-fight winning streak snapped in the loss to Nurmagomedov and hopes to get back on track against Hooker, 30, a New Zealander from the same gym that has produced UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski.
Poirier knows a loss would drop him out of the conversation in the stacked division. A win doesn’t guarantee anything, but at least it keeps him in the mix.
“I just need to perform and win,” he said. “Winning solves everything in this sport. I need to get my hand raised, and then we can reassess the division and where everything is at and what can possibly be next. But right now, I’m just focused on performing on Saturday.”
The bout will headline a 5 p.m. main card that also includes a welterweight bout between Mike Perry and Mickey Gall. Preliminary card action will begin at 3 with all fights airing on ESPN and streaming on ESPN-PLUS.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Adamhilllvrj on Twitter.