Dustin Poirier added size and strength to overwhelm Charles Oliveira at UFC 269, says coach

Dustin Poirier spent the last couple of months adding size and strength to help him overwhelm Charles Oliveira at UFC 269.

After Poirier beat Conor McGregor again at UFC 264, it cemented the fact he would be fighting Oliveira for the lightweight title. Once camp began, Poirier’s strength and conditioning coach, Phil Daru said they wanted to add strength. He believes that will overwhelm Oliveira and be the difference-maker in the fight.

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“It’s been well. Everybody probably says that all the time but he’s definitely taking each day at a time. He’s in one of the best conditions I’ve seen him coming into the fight. The weight wasn’t an issue which is really good,” Daru said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com about Poirier’s UFC 269 fight camp. “He’s eating more because he has the energy to train on a daily basis which is a good thing. We’ve gained a little more muscle and put a little bit more strength on him. He is coming a little more frequently this camp because we do want to come with a bigger and stronger package for this fight. We know we have the size and strength advantage so we want to make sure we capitalize on it.”

Poirier is already a big lightweight so him only getting bigger is surprising. Yet, Daru isn’t worried about the weight cut as they have done everything right. In the fight, as well, Daru says they have added some new things to his skill set. That will only help Poirier win the fight to become the new UFC lightweight champion.

“This is his legacy, he wants the belt and he wants to stamp his legacy. Whether he retires, goes to 170, or stays at 155 the goal is what it is. We have a huge milestone here,” Daru explained about Poirier. “This is very intriguing, this matchup is very good for him. You will see some things in the fight you haven’t seen from him, especially on the ground as he has an underrated ground game. We love the matchup because we feel like we can take it anywhere and be dominant everywhere we go.”

If Dustin Poirier does get his hand raised and become the new champ, Phil Daru says it would be a dream come true. He and Poirier have worked closely together for years now, so to see him accomplish his goal will be surreal.

“Man, this would be a dream come true. I started working with him five, six years ago, 11, 12 camps,” Daru concluded about Poirier. “I have seen him get exponentially better every fight, every camp he is putting it all together. To see it end the way it will on December 11 when he gets that strap wrapped around his waist for the real lightweight title it will be awesome to see.”

Do you think Dustin Poirier will beat Charles Oliveira at UFC 269?