Justin Gaethje-Dustin Poirier Rematch Set For July; 'BMF' Title On The Line

KEY POINTS

Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirie lock horns again at UFC 291
Poirier took home the TKO win in 2018 and was recognized as the Fight of the Year
Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira will also be on the card as the co-main event

Rematches are a common thing in the world of combat sports especially when two talents put on a show in their first meeting, and the UFC is giving mixed martial arts (MMA) fans another dose of excitement in the lightweight division.

The UFC revealed that No. 2-ranked lightweight Dustin Poirier will get to run it back with No. 3-rated Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 291 in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Delta Center (currently known as Vivint Arena) over the honorary "BMF" title.

Gaethje and Poirier first met in April 2018, and fans were treated to a spectacular striking showcase from both men.

Poirier was simply too much to handle as Gaethje got stung with a counter left hand to the jaw 15 seconds into round four and referee Herb Dean had no choice but to stop the fight, handing "Diamond" the TKO victory.

Combat sports publications such as MMA Weekly, Sherdog and MMA Junkie praised the two warriors' midsummer encounter and awarded it the Fight of the Year.

Expectations are high for the rematch and if their first fight is anything to go by, even more fireworks are set to be uncorked on July 29.

Joining them atop the marquee is former UFC light heavyweight king and current No. 3-ranked Jan Blachowicz looking to prevent former middleweight king Alex Pereira from having a successful debut in the 205-pound division.

Since losing the title to Glover Teixeira, Blachowicz picked up a victory over Aleksandar Rakic via TKO due to a knee injury while managing a split decision draw against Magomed Ankalaev over the vacant light heavyweight belt.

As for Pereira, fans last saw him on the receiving end of a spectacular knockout from Israel Adesanya last month, and he is delivering on his promise to fight at a much heavier weight class in order to still be in top condition to fight.

Also on the card will be long-time fan favorite lightweight Tony Ferguson taking on former Strikeforce star Bobby Green.

Ferguson, who was recently booked for a DUI charge earlier this month, has not seen his name be declared a winner in his previous five fights dating back to May 2020.

Meanwhile, Green is coming off a no-contest bout against Jared Gordon last April, where the latter was knocked out in an accidental clash of heads.

Other bouts on the card are as follows: