Two interim title fights headline UFC 236 on Saturday, and depending who loses the road back to future shots at a belt might be long ones.
Featherweight champion Max Holloway (20-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) is moving up to lightweight to try to become a two-division champion against Dustin Poirier (24-5 MMA, 16-4 UFC) for the interim 155-pound strap. The winner would move on to an eventual fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
A loss for Holloway probably wouldn’t be as big of a problem since he’d have the option of going back to 145 pounds to defend his belt there. But for Poirier, getting this title shot was a hard one to begin with, and a loss might send him far back into a crowded lightweight pack.
With champ Robert Whittaker out, Kelvin Gastelum (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) takes on the unbeaten Israel Adesanya (15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) for an interim middleweight title. Adesanya never has lost a fight. It stands to reason a loss for him, followed by a quick rebuilding of a streak, could have him back in contention quicker than Gastelum.
So in our latest Daily Debate, we asked you who would have the longer and harder road back to a future title shot if he loses Saturday night: Poirier, or Gastelum?
The results (via Twitter):
To hear the MMA Junkie Radio crew weigh in on the topic, watch the video above.
For more on UFC 236, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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