November is shaping up to be a good month for fight fans.
With the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden on November 4th already shaping up to be the fight card of the year, the UFC is showing no signs of slowing down in its aftermath.
As confirmed by Dustin Poirier on Twitter, he will face fellow top 155-pound contender Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC Norfolk (UFC Fight Night 120) in Virginia on November 11th.
Both fighters are firmly in the upper echelon of a UFC lightweight division currently ruled for Conor McGregor, but with the Irishman unlikely to compete again this year (according to the thoughts of his coach John Kavanagh at least) plenty of opportunities remains at 155-pounds to elevate themselves in the champion’s temporary absence.
Excited for this one!! I won't be denied 11/11 Norfolk Va pic.twitter.com/LXSA7Gkkg3
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) September 14, 2017
Poirier has gone 5-1-1 since returning to lightweight following a 145-pound loss to McGregor in 2014. His last octagon outing, a no-contest with Eddie Alvarez which was stopped due to an accidental illegal blow delivered by Alvarez, exhibited a composed fighter who is beginning to stand out in the talent-stacked division.
Pettis, meanwhile, rebounded from a less-than-successful sojourn into the featherweight division with a unanimous decision win against Jim Miller at UFC 213 in July. The former 155-pound champ has gone 2-3 in the octagon since defending the title against Gilbert Melendez in late 2014 and one suspects this bout will prove a litmus test as to whether Pettis will be once again considered among the elite of his weight class.
UFC N0rfolk also features Matt Brown vs. Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida vs. Joe Lauzon among other announced bouts.
