5 reasons why Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier is such a good matchup

#2. Both Oliveira and Poirier are true martial artists

Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier are among the most likable and respectful athletes in the sport. The two lightweights are the true embodiments of what it means to be a martial artist.

In a sport like MMA, fighters feel the need to instigate and antagonize their opponents. Fighters like Conor McGregor, Colby Covington, Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen have employed various forms of mental warfare leading up to a fight.

The intention is to throw their opponents off their game and fight in an emotional manner, potentially causing mistakes and lapses of judgment.

However, there is something special about a matchup between two individuals who truly respect one another. No drama and no trash talk. Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier have the utmost respect for each other’s journeys and skills.

While the MMA community continues to underestimate Oliveira, Poirier is under no illusions regarding the dangers posed by the Brazilian. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Poirier had this to say about his opponent:

“I’m not here to put anybody down or talk bad about people. Man, people love to try to shit on people. Man, raise the guy [Charles Oliveira] up. He’s the world champion.”

Watch Dustin Poirier's full interview on The MMA Hour below:

Oliveira, in an interview with the UFC, had this to say about his American counterpart:

"Dustin is a guy who deserves all the respect in the world, but he’s not taking the belt. I’m 100 percent ready. The belt is staying with me.”

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#1. Both Oliveira and Poirier are finishers

Dustin Poirier is undoubtedly one of the hardest punchers in the division. Out of the 28 wins in his professional career so far, 14 have come via TKO/KO.

En route to his interim title fight against Max Holloway at UFC 236, Poirier secured TKO victories over Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje. The win over Gaethje in particular was extremely impressive, as many believed ‘The Highlight’ would be the one landing the heavier blows.

Poirier became the first fighter to knock Conor McGregor out when he took on the Irishman at UFC 257. ‘The Diamond’ levelled his series with ‘The Notorious’ at 1-1 in Abu Dhabi earlier this year with a sensational second-round TKO victory.

Charles Oliveira, on the other hand, is the best finisher in UFC history, period.

The Brazilian not only has the most finishes in the history of the promotion (17), but the most submissions (14) as well. Out of Oliveira’s 31 career wins, 19 have come by way of submission and 9 by way of KO/TKO. His current 9-fight win streak comprises 8 finishes.

Watch a compilation of Oliveira's bonus-winning performances below:

While Dustin Poirier has a lot more experience competing in the championship rounds, Oliveira doesn’t believe that the bout will last that long. He has said that he will look to finish the fight as soon as possible.

In an interview with Helen Yee, Oliveira had this to say (via a translator) about his upcoming title fight against Dustin Poirier:

"I'm aggressive, I'm always moving forward. It's going to be the same, going for the finish, going for the knockout, going for the submission, that's how I fight... It's going to be 2 different styles inside the octagon. He's going to fight till the end and I'm going to try to tap him or knock him out in the beginning, so let's see who's going to take it."

Watch his full interview with Helen Yee below:

With two lethal finishers set to square off in the main event of UFC 269, fans can expect fireworks when the octagon doors finally close. Having been through similar journeys to reach where they are now, the two well-rounded mixed martial artists will be primed and ready to give their all as they battle it out for undisputed lightweight gold.