5 reasons why Dustin Poirier would beat Nate Diaz

#2. Dustin Poirier can match Diaz's cardio

A lot is made of Diaz's cardio and how well he does in five-round fights. However, Diaz has only ever fought five rounds thrice in 33 fights. Of those five-round fights, he lost them all. His cardio, it seems, is not as great a game-changer as it's made out to be.

Poirier, by contrast, has gone five rounds twice in 36 fights, winning them all.

One of those victories came against Max Holloway, whose cardio is so great that he broke UFC records by landing 445 significant strikes in his fight against Calvin Kattar. Furthermore, Holloway has gone five rounds as many as seven times in his MMA career, yet even his record-breaking cardio was not enough against Poirier, who claimed a unanimous decision win against him.

Thus, Diaz is unlikely to be capable of overwhelming Poirier with his cardio given how well Poirier's cardio has held up in his career.

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#1. Nate Diaz is no longer elite

Not since his shocking win against McGregor back in 2016 has Diaz won a fight against an opponent who is currently in the UFC.

Diaz's last win came against Anthony Pettis, who is currently signed to the PFL and is 3-3 since his loss against him. Furthermore, Diaz is no longer ranked in any of the divisions he's known for competing in, and is now three years away from his 40th birthday.

Poirier, on the other hand, is still 33 years old and the No.2-ranked lightweight in the UFC. Outside of losses to top contender and former champion Charles Oliveira and former titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov, Poirier has not lost to anyone since his 2016 knockout loss against Michael Johnson.