Jon Jones named Dustin Poirier as one of the greatest boxers in the UFC when building his perfect fighter.
Jones said Poirier was ‘light-years’ ahead of his fellow MMA stars due to his ability to utilise the jab when he was asked to select an athlete with the best boxing in the UFC‘s roster.
‘The Diamond’ will be heavily reliant on his impeccable boxing skills when he fights Max Holloway at UFC 318 on Saturday.
Poirier, 36, has confirmed the bout will be the last of his professional MMA career, while Holloway hopes to set up a title shot against newly crowned lightweight champion Ilia Topuria through victory.
Both men headline UFC 318 in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the BMF title also on the line.
Jones, who backtracked on his own retirement from the sport last week, discussed why Poirier was one of the best in the business when building his perfect UFC fighter in an interview with VicBlends in May.
“I think Dustin Poirier has some pretty good hands,” he said, speaking on the UFC’s best boxer, before also naming Topuria as one of the best, too.
Jones later explained why Poirier stands out from other fighters in the UFC.
“I’ve always said that one of the most underrated techniques in MMA is the jab,” ‘Bones’ added.
“The basic jab, man, the fighters that utilise their jabs, guys like Ilia, guys like Poirier – some of our better boxers.
“They appear to be light-years ahead of current MMA fighters because what it boils down to is the jab.
“The jab sets up everything, and I would love to see the future of our sport lean into boxing more.”
‘Bones’ also mentioned Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Demian Maia, and himself when building his perfect UFC fighter.
He believes he has the best fight IQ and cardio in UFC history.
The 37-year-old then asserted Silva possessed the best striking in the promotion, with St-Pierre the best wrestler, and Maia the greatest at jiu-jitsu.
Poirier, meanwhile, will contest the longest-standing UFC trilogy when he meets Holloway at UFC 318 on Saturday.
He has already defeated ‘Blessed’ twice in the promotion, but insists he’s ‘not looking back’ at those previous wins for inspiration or motivation.
‘The Diamond’ was submitted by Islam Makhachev in his last bout, having bounced back from a brutal head kick loss to Justin Gaethje by stopping Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299.
Holloway, a former UFC featherweight champion, was handed the first KO defeat of his career by Topuria in his most recent appearance.
This came after the 33-year-old scored one of the greatest finishes in the promotion’s history at UFC 300 in April when he knocked out Gaethje.
Both men will meet to decide the UFC’s ‘baddest mother****er’ this weekend at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
The early preliminary action will get started at 11:15 pm UK time before the preliminary card begins at 1 am on Sunday in the UK.
UFC 318’s main card is then expected to start around 3 am.
The main card on the night also witnesses Paulo Costa face Roman Kopylov in the co-main event, while Kevin Holland, Dan Ige, and Daniel Zellhuber are also all in action.