UFC on Fox: 5 Fights Dustin Poirier Should Take Next

Dustin Poirier could truly be the diamond amongst a plethora of potential featherweight contenders.

The 22-year-old featherweight submitted Pablo Garza in the second round at UFC on Fox on Saturday night with a rear naked choke.

This marks Poirier's third straight win in the UFC.

His coming out party was at UFC 125 in an upset win over former top 10 featherweight Josh Grispi. Before facing Poirier, Grispi was originally slated to face UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, but an injury forced Aldo to withdraw from the bout.

Grispi decided against waiting around for a title shot, and he took the fight with Poirier instead.

It proved to be a grave mistake, as Poirier outworked Grispi and picked up the unanimous decision.

Now, Poirier finds himself knocking on the door for possible featherweight title contention. A win over Garza isn't going to thrust him into the contender's spot, but it should at least earn him a shot at an upper-echelon featherweight.

Here are five fights Poirier should take next.

 

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Bart Palaszewski

Bart Palaszewski stormed into the top-10 ranks at UFC 137 with an impressive first-round knockout victory over Tyson Griffin.

His brute striking and strong grappling makes him a difficult challenge for anyone at 145 pounds.

Poirier may have to take a more refined approach against a fighter like Palaszewski.

It would be interesting to see what kind of adjustments he would make to deal with the takedowns and power on the feet.

Mark Hominick

What better way to get your feet wet in the deep pool of the featherweight division than taking on a former UFC title contender?

Mark Hominick is a proficient striker, who should provide a stern test for Poirier's aggressive standup offense.

This bout could also force Poirier to open up other aspects of his fight game.

People tend to overlook his ever-improving ground game.

Manny Gamburyan

Manny Gamburyan hasn't been getting any love lately, but he still remains a force in the featherweight division.

Unfortunately, nagging injuries and back-to-back losses have hampered his progression.

Gamburyan could be on the chopping block in his scheduled bout with Diego Nunes at UFC 141, which is a fight Poirier should definitely pay attention to.

A win over Gamburyan or Nunes could push Poirier right behind Chad Mendes and Hatsu Hioki in the featherweight title picture.

Diego Nunes

Diego Nunes could be a major dark horse in the featherweight division.

At UFC 131, Nunes welcomed Kenny Florian to the 145-pound weight class, and he gave the former UFC title contender all he could handle.

Wins over Raphael Assuncao and former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown have helped Nunes ascend up the rankings.

A bout against Nunes would be a top 10 fight for Poirier that could go a long way in proving his legitimacy as a possible contender for the UFC title.

Tyson Griffin

What is going on with Tyson Griffin?

This seems to be a common question the MMA world continues to ponder.

Griffin has the skills to be a world champion, but instead of challenging for a UFC title, he is forced to dig his way out of a 1-4 hole.

A bout with Poirier could be looked at as a possible resurgence fight or a changing of the guard.