Undisputed or not, Israel Adesanya says Dustin Poirier 'a champion no matter what'

USA Today

19-07-2025

Israel Adesanya thinks Dustin Poirier's legacy shouldn't be discredited for never winning an undisputed UFC title.
Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC), a former interim lightweight champion, will make his final walk to the octagon when he challenges Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) for the BMF title in Saturday's UFC 318 headliner at Smoothie King Center (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
On the same night Poirier claimed the interim title in an all-out war vs. Holloway at UFC 236, Adesanya outlasted Kelvin Gastelum in a Fight of the Year to capture the interim middleweight belt. Adesanya says Poirier's resume speaks for itself.
"Dustin's been the guy in the UFC that's always a company man," Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. "Whenever it's time to toe the line in battle, he's a guy that's always ready to go. (He's a) hard worker – represents his people of Lafayette, La. He's always represented his people. He's always represented himself well, carries himself as a champion, and I've always said this, as well, because people try and try to discredit his win as a champion.
"He is a champion no matter what. He's got a belt at his house, at his gym, sitting there to represent him as a champion at one point. So people who are trying to say, 'Oh, you never really became the undisputed.' No, when you're the interim champion, you're the f*cking champion. He's had a career in the UFC that's second to none. You'd be blessed to have the career, even half the career that Dustin's had in the UFC."
Despite the high praise, Adesanya initially picked Holloway to win.
"He still tends to, when he gets tired, he reverts back to his old habits, which is flat-footedness and plodding forward and throwing without setting things up," Adesanya said of Poirier. "Sometimes – but he's changed that. But again, when he gets tired, (he does that).
"Max doesn't really get tired. Dustin was able to outwork him in that second fight when they fought for the belt. Dustin hurt Max, rocked him. (It was the) first time I've seen Max rocked, and Dustin was able to keep going. ... For him to get this done and retire on top, beating Max three times, that will be a feather in his cap, a good way to ride off into the sunset. But Max is going to try and spoil the party with the Blessed Express. I'm going with Max in this fight."
Adesanya eventually retracted his prediction and said he won't pick a winner. He doesn't see Holloway's first-career knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 having a negative impact on his approach.
"After the last fight, Max will be more defensively sound because he's never been knocked out before," Adesanya said. "Max is not going to get gun shy, but he'll be smarter now with the weight because Max has taken a lot of shots. Your chin only holds up for so long. Lightweight Max, I still think can knock out Dustin Poirier, and Dustin has taken Max's best shots in the past and keep going forward.
"This time could be different. I wouldn't advise that for Dustin. Max, however: Fight smart. Fight at range. Fight on the edge of Dustin's range. Be in his face, but don't let him just walk forward without paying, don't let him just walk forward without eating something. Dustin just has to mix up the takedowns or even threaten the takedowns to keep Max guessing."