"Oliveira is a better martial artist all round" - Dan Hardy previews the Dustin Poirier vs. Charles Oliveira UFC 269 title fight

Dan Hardy believes those who think Dustin Poirier will cruise to victory against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 are in for a rude awakening this weekend.

Hardy claims that Oliveira is being underestimated by many fans and pundits heading into his first lightweight title defense in Las Vegas this Saturday.

In fact, Hardy believes it's Dustin Poirier who has a more daunting challenge ahead of him at 2021's final pay-per-view compared to Oliveira.

During an appearance on Submission Radio, Hardy admitted that Poirier is an experienced campaigner who has both the guile and the guts to get his hand raised on the night. However, 'The Outlaw' thinks 'Do Bronx' is a better-rounded mixed martial artist than 'The Diamond'.

"Anybody that pays attention when he's [Oliveira] fighting knows how lethal he is. Dustin Poirier is no doubt a tough, durable veteran. He's a smart individual that's rounded out his game with maturity and has made him a far more effective fighter and if he goes into the trenches we know he can fight through hell and come out on the other side. The general feeling around Poirier is that if Khabib wasn't in the division at the same time then Poirier would have been champion. Yeah, for sure, but I think times have changed now and Oliveira is the champion and I think he'd be very difficult for anybody to get the belt off. I just think skill wise, Oliveira is a better martial artist all round."

Check out Dan Hardy's interaction with Submission Radio below:

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Hardy explains the various ways in which Charles Oliveira could take Dustin Poirier to deep waters

Hardy thinks Charles Oliveira can hurt Dustin Poirier during exchanges on the feet, as well as take him down and deliver some vicious ground-and-pound, similar to his performance against Tony Ferguson.

According to Hardy, Oliveira's striking skills are strong enough for him to pose serious questions to 'The Diamond' during the UFC 269 main event.

"I've seen no reason to believe that Charles Oliveira won't be champion by the end of the fight. It wouldn't surprise me if he's able to back Poirier up against the fence and beat him up a little bit and then catch his neck on the way in, something like the Kevin Lee fight. But at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if Oliveira decides to go offensive and takes Poirier down and kind of beat him up and maul him like he did Tony Ferguson. It's a hard fight for Poirier."