According to the American, he considers the upcoming fight with his compatriot Dustin Poirier to be a contender, and if he wins, he expects to challenge Islam Makhachev if he manages to defend the title in a rematch with Charles Oliveira.
“If the BMF title holder becomes the leader of the title race, then everything is fine – it suits me,” the American said in an interview with TMZ Sports. “Dustin is number two in the world, I’m number three, so it makes sense that the winner of our fight would be the number one contender”
“The fight with Islam is a kind of opportunity to immediately avenge my two defeats. Khabib beat me, Islam is his protege and successor, so I can take revenge. Islam also beat Oliveira, so I can kill two birds with one stone by beating him. And I will close the defeat from Eddie Alvarez by beating Dustin, who defeated him. ”
Recall that the fight between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje on July 29 will headline the UFC 291 tournament in Salt Lake City, and Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira will meet on October 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.