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McGregor, Alvarez

After losing the UFC lightweight championship against Conor McGregor, Eddie Alvarez will be looking to get back to winning ways against Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier at UFC 211. The Philadelphia native has historically responded well to defeat but his opponent, Poirier, is no easy pushover.

Alvarez and Poirier is one of the most anticipated fights of the weekend, which goes down from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Poirier himself has had career resurgence since moving to the UFC’s lightweight division. He’s won six of seven fights since returning to the 155lb weight class, three of which coming by TKO/KO.

Poirier last fought at the much-maligned UFC 208 card in Brooklyn. His opponent on the night was the formidable Jim Miller. Their fight opened the main event on pay-per-view. In a back and forth action packed contest, Poirier left with a majority decision win. After a grueling fight, both men were awarded a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for their efforts.

With a win over such an experienced and battle-tested opponent, Poirier will now be looking to break into the upper echelons of the lightweight division. If he can add a victory over Alvarez to his resume, “The Diamond” will undoubtedly become a 155lber to be reckoned with (if not so already).

Can Alvarez work his way back into title contention?

Alvarez had a very mixed 2016. He won the UFC’s lightweight title in devastating fashion – stopping Rafael dos Anjos inside one round. In his first title defence he met “The Notorious” Conor McGregor. McGregor was jumping up a division to contest for Alvarez’s newly acclaimed title. This would be the headline fight of UFC 205 which was the company’s first event to be held in the state of New York.

On the night, things did not go according to plan for Alvarez. He was dropped numerous times in round one and was lucky to make it into the second. However, it was not long until he was eventually finished off by McGregor, who used his unique striking prowess to capitalise on a slow and dejected looking Alvarez. McGregor was crowned the new UFC Lightweight champion and Eddie went back to the drawing board.

After taking time out to recuperate, “The Underground King” is looking to get back to title contention this Saturday in Dallas, Texas. Both men have been in wars inside the octagon but neither are afraid to engage so I fully expect this contest to be a “Fight of the Night” candidate.