Dustin Poirier Meets Yancy Medeiros On June 6 From New Orleans
After making a successful return to lightweight with a first round starching of once-hyped prospect Diego Ferreira at last Saturday’s (April 4, 2015) UFC Fight Night 63 from Fairfax, Virginia, former top-ranked featherweight Dustin Poirier was promised a spot on June 6’s UFC Fight Night 68 from home state of Louisiana.
Today, he has it.
UFC officials confirmed that Poirier will take on rising contender Yancy Medeiros at the event from New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center. The card is headlined by a pivotal Daniel Cormier vs. Ryan Bader light heavyweight showdown.
A native of nearby Lafayette, Louisiana, Poirier decided to return to his previous home of 155 pounds after realizing the strenuous cuts to 145 pounds were too much for his body in the aftermath of his first round loss to Conor McGregor at last September’s UFC 178.
All told, Poirier has won four out of his five previous UFC bouts with three knockout finishes. His last loss before the McGregor fight was a decision to Cub Swanson in a fight he took on short notice at UFC on Fuel TV 7.
He’ll face a quietly dangerous opponent in 27-year-old Hawaiian Medeiros, who has put away two consecutive foes via submission, earning “Performance of the Night” bonuses for his wins over Joe Proctor at December’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 20 Finale and Damon Jackson at UFC 177. Medeiros was set to face rising Tony Ferguson at February 28’s UFC 184 but was forced to withdraw with a rib injury.
Now he has an even bigger name in Poirier, who could end up being a threat in one of, if not the, most talented divisions in all of UFC. He’ll just have to get past Medeiros in New Orleans first.
Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
