Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night ‘Poirier vs. Johnson’

Dustin Poirier never knew what hit him.Michael Johnson waylaid the American Top Team standout with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night “Poirier vs. Johnson” (online betting) main event on Saturday at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. “The Menace” sealed Poirier’s fate 1:35 into round one, handing the 27-year-old his first loss as a lightweight in more than six years. So sudden was the stoppage that neither man broke a figurative sweat. Johnson lured the Lafayette, Louisiana, native into his desired range before firing off a right hook-straight left combination. The concussive blows flattened Poirier and rendered him incapable of withstanding the barrage of rights and lefts that came next. Referee Dan Miragliotta was on the scene in an instant to prevent “The Diamond” from suffering further damage. Those who had written off Johnson as a serious contender in the crowded Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division were forced to reassess their position. In wake of UFC Fight Night “Johnson vs. Poirier,” here are five matches that ought to be made: Related » UFC Hidalgo By the Numbers Michael Johnson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov: Johnson put back-to-back decision losses to Nate Diaz and Beneil Dariush behind him in the most emphatic manner possible. The 30-year-old Blackzilians representative butchered Poirier in 95 seconds, securing his first victory since he bested Edson Barboza a year and a half ago and delivering his first finish since he knocked out Gleison Tibau at UFC 168 on Dec. 28, 2013. The unbeaten …

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