MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC on ESPN 12, a five-round lightweight bout between Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker. The event takes place on Saturday, June 27 at the UFC Apex in las Vegas, Nevada.
Dustin Poirier (-225)
Poirier (25-6, 1 NC) is the No. 3 ranked lightweight in the UFC and the former interim UFC lightweight champion. The 31-year-old American has been fighting in the UFC since 2011 and has racked up a 17-5, 1 NC record in the Octagon in that stretch. Since moving up to lightweight in 2015, Poirier is 9-2, 1 NC while emerging as one of the top fighters in the sport. Some of his notable victories include Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Max Holloway, Anthony Pettis, and Jim Miller, with his lone losses at lightweight to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Michael Johnson. Poirier is a very well-rounded fighter with crisp boxing on the feet and a slick submission game on the ground. He prefers to stand and strike these days but he is more than capable on the ground. After losing to the champ in his last fight, look for Poirier to be super motivated to beat Hooker and get back in the title picture.
Dan Hooker (+185)
Hooker (20-8) is No. 5 ranked lightweight in the UFC. The 30-year-old New Zealander has been fighting in the UFC since 2014 and has a 10-4 record in the Octagon, including a 7-1 record since moving up to lightweight in 2017. Hooker has put together a fantastic resume in a short period of time, with notable wins over Gilbert Burns, Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, Jim Miller, and Hatsu Hioki. Since moving up to lightweight, his lone loss was against Edson Barboza. Hooker tends to want to stand and strike on the feet although he can finish fights on the ground if it goes there as well. Since moving up to lightweight he has put together a very nice win streak while emerging as one of the top fighters in the division. A win here over Poirier and Hooker will put himself in the title picture.
Fight Breakdown: This should be a fantastic main event between two of the best lightweights in the world. I’m expecting a stand-up war, and with the amount of finishing ability both men possess, I can’t see this fight going the full five rounds. For me, Poirier has the edge in this fight because he’s the more technical striker and because he has more pure KO power. Hooker is certainly durable and tough to finish, but he is prone to taking huge shots in his fights. The difference between these two guys is that Poirier has slightly better striking defense and I think that is going to ultimately be the difference in why he gets his hand raised in this fight. I think Poirier is going to be really accurate with his strikes and continue to wear Hooker down until finishing him with strikes in the middle or late rounds in one of the best fights of the year. My pick is Poirier to win the fight via knockout.
Prediction: Dustin Poirier via TKO
