UFC analyst Jon Anik heaped praises on a proven veteran who has established his greatness in the sport without a title.
Louisiana bruiser Dustin Poirier is coming off an action-packed outing with Michael Chandler at UFC 281 last month. Chandler came out firing and had Poirier in trouble early but ‘Diamond’ managed to recover quickly and pulled off a rear-naked choke submission to get back in the winning column.
Although Poirier was an interim lightweight champion, he has not been an undisputed titleholder. He dropped the first shot to former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and the second one to Charles Oliveira, who put an end to his ambitions with the same finish.
Anik Says Poirier Is a Gangster
UFC broadcast team member Anik recently shared his thoughts on Poirier’s latest victory. He believes ‘Diamond’ has already cemented his legacy as an all-time great in the sport and does not need the gold to prove anything.
“Dustin Poirier is incredible, and I don’t think he needs an undisputed UFC lightweight championship to prove any sort of greatness,” Anik told MMA Fighting. “This was a difficult matchup [for Poirier] in a lot of respects. Michael Chandler’s explosivity is a problem for a lot of people, and maybe if Chandler makes a little bit of a different decision at times in this fight, the narrative flips.”
Anik further highlighted Poirier’s incredible skills inside the octagon and called him a ‘gangster.’
“I don’t even know how to be articulate when talking about Dustin Poirier, I just want to call him an f’ing gangster and say, ‘Oh my f’ing God, this guy, man,’” Anik told. “Durability, focus, boxing fundamentals — gosh, if you’re in an alley, don’t you want f****** guy [with you], bro?”
Anik Was Impressed by Poirier’s Latest Finish
Poirier went into the bout with Chandler looking to rebound off a loss to Oliveira in his previous outing. Having been a professional mixed martial artist since 2009, he has never dropped two in a row and maintained the record after finishing Chandler.
Anik lauded Poirier for the remarkable performance and the way he carried himself after the win, referencing the brief confrontation Poirier had with Chandler inside the octagon.
“Dustin Poirier’s ability to recognize when he’s hurt, bite down on the mouthpiece, and then, obviously, his skill set is such that he as able to submit a guy in this setting, his ability to rise to the occasion, and then just the attitude after the fact to tell Michael Chandler — however respectfully or not — that this is his house, the octagon, which he’s essentially competed 30 times.
“Huge night for Poirier in proving that his UFC body of work counts for a whole lot, and obviously I have buckets of respect for Chandler in defeat.”
“It’s crazy calling a fight like that, you can be sure,” added Anik. “I hope we did it justice,” Anik explained. “Brian Stann was texting me that maybe we could’ve done that fight more justice with our commentary, but you know, best we could do.”
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UFC Bruiser Doesn’t Need Title To Cement Legacy After Latest Finish