Dustin Poirier says he’s been in the same spot that one top UFC 321 headliner is in right now.
In the main event of UFC 321 on Saturday, Ciryl Gane will challenge Tom Aspinall for the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship. This will be “Bon Gamin’s” third opportunity at an undisputed heavyweight title under the UFC banner. Despite once holding interim gold, Gane has never been an undisputed champion.
Poirier was in a similar situation during his pro MMA career, and he told MMAJunkie that it’ll be up to Gane to determine how he will write his story.
“Have I ever been in his shoes,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “I have the shoes right here. I’ve lived in those shoes. It’s a lot. It’s a lot on yourself every time you go to sleep at night. When you wake up, when you go to the gym you’re thinking about, ‘This could be the last time I ever get a chance to make this happen.’
“Every fight is different, every fighter’s mindset is different. Some people love that feeling. Some people crumble from that feeling. But it’s a feeling for sure, and it’s there. It’s there. He’s thinking about it.”
Newsweek Sports recently interviewed Gane ahead of UFC 321. The challenger described what it would mean to him to finally become an undisputed UFC champion.
“I’m going to be really happy for my coaches, for my family, for my friends, and also for the fans who supported me in my country,” Gane said. “We are a sport country. We are really good in soccer, basketball, athletics, every sport. Now, we are really good in MMA, and I want to prove it.”
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