UFC is all set to touch Canadian soil this Saturday (July 28) at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. The main card event is a second fight between former champion Eddie Alvarez (35-29-5) and Louisiana-born Dustin Poirier (29-23- 5) after an unexpected twist of turns to their first encounter.
Previous Fight Background
The first fight saw Poirier en-route victory when things turned sour for him. He initially pounded his rival with shattering punches and had almost reached the summit when he threw Poirier on the ropes during the second round, bombarding his opponent with knee strikes. Rather than focusing on a strong comeback and sealing the deal, The Diamond inflicted an illegal knee, putting an end to the show. This time around the two lightweight contestants are ready to put an end to this impeding affair. The winner of the fight would step in closer to lightweight title contention.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier 2
Poirier is all set to embrace victory as long as he is not carried away with his ambitions of trouncing his opponent. The last encounter only resulted in hard luck for 29-year-old American fighter because he wasn’t too careful with his lethal attack. However, attacking Alvarez would require some solid strategy, as the former champ isn’t an easy bet when it comes to pinning him down. His ability to stand against the tides makes him a tough opponent. This very trait is the basis that can turn around the tables, changing the victor and the defeated in the fight.
In order to steer towards success, Eddie needs to focus on his head movements and footwork so that he can evade Poirier’s initial attack and save him from an early on loss. However, he still needs to devise a strategy to protect himself from the onslaught of devastating blows that almost caused him a loss in previous fight. His safest bet is to frequently throw blows at his opponent to keep him occupied with self-defense. This way Alvarez can deviate Poirier’s mind from attacking to self-defense. If Poirier is able to show the same patience and ability he did in his fights against Anthony Pettis and Gaethji, he is very likely to seal the deal. 34-year-old American has the ability to absorb more damage than Poirier, so Poirier needs to execute more action while distancing himself conveniently, anytime Eddie steps forward with a possibility of attack.
However, if Poirier is able to show the same patience and ability he did in his fights against Anthony Pettis and Gaethji, he is very likely to seal the deal.
If Alvarez is capable enough in turning Poirier’s punches against him, then he can get even with his previous pains, getting closer to his lost accolade.
RDX Prediction: Dustin Poirier by TKO
