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Dustin Poirier recently expressed excitement for Patricio Pitbull's octagon debut at UFC 314. He lauded the former Bellator champion as he will immediately be put to the test in his promotional debut this weekend.
Pitbull joins the UFC after spending most of his professional career in Bellator, where he was a three-time featherweight kingpin and former lightweight champion. The Brazilian is scheduled to lock horns with No. 5-ranked UFC featherweight fighter Yair Rodriguez in a bout that could propel the winner into the featherweight title conversation.
During Poirier's latest appearance on ESPN's Good Guy / Bad Guy, he expressed joy in seeing Pitbull compete in the promotion. 'The Diamond' believes the former Bellator champion belongs in the featherweight title picture and is eager to see how he will fare against the top UFC contenders.
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"I'm excited to see him against guys that I've been watching in the UFC and guys who have fought for belts. Pitbull's history, I mean, he's championship caliber obviously, but he's diving into the deep end of the featherweight division and I'm excited to see him. I've been a fan of his for a long time."
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Check out Dustin Poirier's comments about Patricio Pitbull below (17:14):
Dustin Poirier weighs in on Patricio Pitbull being matched up against Yair Rodriguez
Dustin Poirier also weighed in on Patricio Pitbull being matched up against Yair Rodriguez for his octagon debut at UFC 314.
During the aforementioned appearance, Poirier mentioned that Rodriguez could be a difficult matchup due to the size difference, but highlighted Pitbull's striking ability as possibly providing a path to victory.
"[Pitbull's] too dangerous, too explosive... That stylistic matchup [with Rodridguez] is tough, especially being a shorter guy. He's not a tall guy. The ranginess of Yair is going to make it a difficult fight, but he has the power and the tools to close distance and put this guy away as well." [19:23]
Check out the final faceoff between Patricio Pitbull and Yair Rodriguez below:
