AT A GLANCE
When is UFC 236? Sunday 14th April, 2019 – 01:00 (UK)
Where is UFC 236? State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
What channel is UFC 236? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 2? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT website
For viewers in the United States, the game will be shown live and you can take advantage of a free trial with ESPN+ and subscribe now by clicking here!
Are tickets still available for UFC on ESPN 2? http://uk.ufc.com/event-ticket-info?utm_source=ufc&utm_medium=tab&utm_campaign=tickets
THE STATISTICS
THE LOWDOWN
If the lightweight division wasn’t stacked enough, the imperious featherweight champion has entered the fray to shake things up. Max Holloway eyes more gold as he takes on another beast desperate for a shot at the coveted lightweight championship – Dustin Poirier.
These guys met back in 2012 where Poirier handed a young Holloway his first loss via a brilliant armbar on a mounted triangle. They now meet at UFC 236 for the interim lightweight belt but we can ignore how that fight turned out as they are both completely different fighters now.
Poirier moved back up to lightweight after a loss to Conor McGregor and is clearly at a better class as he has compiled a record of 8-1 (1) since, including finishes against a plethora of animals and former champions such as Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez.
Holloway is enjoying an even more impressive run on a 13-fight winning streak, cleaning out a talented featherweight division. The Hawaiian is now looking to prove he is the pound-for-pound king by earning the interim belt for a chance to reign the lightweight division.
THE PREDICTION
The question is, how Holloway will perform up at lightweight and in all likelihood, we will see the best version of him yet. The cut to 145 lbs is gruelling for him now and he is huge for that division. At lightweight he is still going to have a size advantage over the majority of his opponents and with less weight to cut, he is going to have more durability, more endurance and more explosiveness.
It is going to be fascinating to see how he fares and Poirier, in the form of his life, will be the perfect test. We know he is a terrific grappler but his stand-up has become one of the most dangerous in the division and he proved that by knocking out Alvarez and Gaethje in his last fights.
This will be a stand-up battle of the highest calibre and although Poirier gives up two inches in height, he boasts a three-inch reach advantage which will be crucial against Holloway, whom also breaks his opponents down with unrelenting long punches.
It is hard to bet against Poirier, but Holloway is going to be even more dangerous at lightweight and land at an even higher velocity. The toughness of both men is likely to drag this out into the championship rounds but they both throw at such a high rate that it is likely one man will be left standing.
Winner: Holloway via KO/TKO
Striking and grappling stats sourced via FightMetric
