Dustin Poirier: I Have the Opportunity to Make History

The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 241 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Dustin Poirier is aware that the task that awaits him at UFC 242 is one that nobody has managed yet, and he isn’t shying away from the moment.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship interim lightweight champ is a heavy betting underdog going into his unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov and is under no illusions of the size of the task ahead of him, as Nurmagomedov has looked largely unbeatable inside of the Octagon since his debut back in 2012.

“The Diamond” spoke with MMA Junkie and said his confidence is at an all-time high and believes he’ll be the first man ever to finish “The Eagle” next month.

"I keep going back and forth," Poirier said. "I feel like I can submit Khabib, but feel like I'm going to stop him. I don't know how it's going to happen, but I'm either going to knock him out or I'm going to submit him. I'm going to finish Khabib Nurmagomedov.”

The undefeated sambo champion from Dagestan is arguably the most effective grappler in MMA with his ability to smother his opponents and completely nullify any threat they pose, as was the case when he defended his title with relative ease against the heavy-handed Conor McGregor in his last title defense back in October.

When asked about the threat of the takedown, Poirier acknowledged the danger of Nurmagomedov’s grappling and said hurting the champion is the key to avoiding being manhandled:

"Of course, it's a huge danger. I don't want this guy to get on top of me and start pulling away with rounds. We only have five of them. If you let a guy lay on you for three, you need a finish. That's not what I'm trying to do in there.

“I’m not worried about his takedowns so much. I need to hurt this guy. That’s a huge part of this training camp. Putting myself in good positions to win the rounds and win the fight. Staying off the fence. Getting up off the ground. But, at the same time, I need to do what I do.

“I have the opportunity to make history and do something that’s never been done. I’m embracing that… I’m just excited that I put myself in this position and that I have an opportunity to show the world how great I am on the biggest scale possible and unify these belts. Make history – that’s what this is about.”

UFC 242 takes place Sept. 7 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and will be broadcast on pay-per-view in North America. It is scheduled to be headlined by the lightweight title fight between Nurmagomedov and Poirier, with a lightweight rematch between contenders Edson Barboza and Paul Felder as the co-main event.