Former lightweight title challenger Justin Gaethje believes a late 2023 bout with Dustin Poirier is a title eliminator.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Gaethje spoke about his desire to fight Poirier later this year. He believes the winner will eventually get a shot at the UFC lightweight title.
“I think that’s the obvious answer,” Gaethje said. “He’s No. 2, he has no dance partner, and the same with me. I think that fight is certainly a title contention fight. The winner of [Charles] Oliveira and [Beneil] Dariush fight, obviously [they] are going to fight for the title in October, so I need to fight Dustin in August, September, or October to put me on that perfect timeline.