Masvidal holds BMF belt for Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje UFC 291 face-off

28 July 2023 , 10:46

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Jorge Masvidal holds the BMF belt before Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje's UFC 291 fight (Image: Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Jorge Masvidal held the 'BMF' belt as Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje faced off ahead of their UFC 291 rematch.

The symbolic title will be on the line for Poirier and Gaethje's rematch this Saturday night at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Poirier won by knockout when he and Gaethje fought for the first time in 2018 and the lightweight rivals have both remained at the very top of the division since that meeting.

Masvidal won the 'BMF', which stands for 'baddest motherf*****', title when he fought Nate Diaz in November 2019. The belt has never been on the line since but with Masvidal retiring after his loss to Gilbert Burns in April, the UFC opted to have Poirier and Gaethje compete for it in their rematch and 'Gamebred' aptly brought out the belt at Thursday's press conference.

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Poirier said of the rematch: "We fought five years ago but me and my team went about this whole camp like it's a new fight, we watched the first fight between us when I got to camp but we haven't watched it since because this is a new fight. It's not like I'm using the first fight as momentum, I'm using my career and last fights as momentum. My growth, confidence and mindset is driving me forward.

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"He's a dog and I love his fights. I've been wrestling my whole life and I've lost a few times but every time I got back in there and tried my hardest, just like I always do. I'm a competitor, I love competition and I'm here to fight. He was my third fight in the UFC, it's a whole different ballgame to stay in control of your emotions and not get caught up in the noise. I used to try and thrive off that but now I try keep calm and stay focused," Gaethje added.

Poirier and Gaethje have both missed out on the lightweight title on two occasions since their first meeting, with both men being tapped out by former titleholders Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov. They have also identically gone 6-2 since their first meeting, both holding wins over Michael Chandler.

Gaethje is relishing the chance to bring home the 'BMF' belt as he said: "It's going to look great on the wall, it does a lot for our legacy. We all dream of creating a legacy that will live on forever, so this is part of that as it's a huge statement. Poirier added of the symbolic belt: "This is a legacy fight. We have one of these belts sitting in my gym and this one is going right next to it."

Harry Davies