Third-ranked UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje shared his opinion on having a fight against Dustin Poirier for the BMF (Baddest Motherf--er) belt.
My true assessment: When Masvidal and Diaz fought for it I was like, ‘This is stupid.’ I still think it’s kind of stupid. However, to the fans that say it’s stupid, I say that it’s ultimately the UFC giving one more fighter one more opportunity to win and to gain an opportunity to get pay-per-view points. This belt, just like interim belts, on paper, are a championship. You are a champion in the eyes of the UFC, and when you are a champion in the eyes of the UFC, you get paid different.
As you may recall, Poirier and Gaethje will fight on July 29 at UFC 291. In addition to the BMF title, the fighters will also compete for the lightweight belt contender.
The BMF title was first awarded at UFC 244 on November 2, 2019, in a bout between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. In this fight, Jorge won by TKO in the third round (doctor stoppage).
Gaethje, 34, fought in March of this year against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286. In that fight, Justin won by majority decision. He has 24 wins and four losses under his belt.
Poirier, 34, last competed against Michael Chandler at UFC 281 in November, 2022. That fight ended in Dustin's favor by choking submission in the third round. He has 29 wins and seven losses under his belt.
