"When Poirier (30-10) faced Holloway in his retirement fight at UFC 318 last year, "The Diamond" knew a similar invitation was coming. However, Poirier wanted to make sure he didn't have to trade with Holloway for over 10 seconds. Poirier's wife, Jolie, had also warned him not to get lured by Holloway's pointing down gesture. Confident in his own striking in the pocket, Poirier eventually decided to exchange with Holloway. However, "Blessed" started picking Poirier apart, forcing him to clinch in the final seconds."
""I knew it was coming," Poirier recently told the UFC. "But when he started pointing down, I was like, 'Hold on, let me check the clock.' I don't want to point down with 20 seconds left. I'm thinking of Justin Gaethje laying face down. My wife told me too the night before, 'When he points down, don't do it. You don't point down, you don't do it either.'...""
Dustin Poirier avoided extended pocket exchanges with Max Holloway during their UFC 318 fight, limiting trades to about ten seconds. Holloway's signature gesture of pointing down invites opponents to stand in the pocket and trade. Poirier recalled Justin Gaethje's knockout after answering that gesture and received similar warning from his wife Jolie. Poirier initially planned to test Holloway briefly, confident in his pocket striking, but Holloway began landing significant shots. Facing damage in the pocket, Poirier resorted to clinching in the closing seconds to neutralize Holloway's offense and protect himself.
Read at Sherdog
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