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The BMF belt is a special kind of title, and so it requires a special kind of matchup.
The non-traditional championship was first introduced ahead of the UFC 244 main event back in late 2019 (see a pic here) to help spice up the five-round headliner between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz in New York City.
“Gamebred” won by fourth round technical knockout.
With Masvidal recently retiring from combat sports, promotion president Dana White opted to resurrect the BMF belt for the upcoming UFC 291 pay-per-view (PPV) card, locked and loaded for July 29 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
UFC 291 is headlined by the lightweight rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
“Masvidal retired, so we put the BMF up,” White said during last weekend’s press conference. “You have no idea how many of these fighters want to fight for the BMF title. They all want to fight for that belt, so it’s fun, it’s different. So, we’ll do it again. I mean, when you think about coming up with it the first time, those two were the right guys. So are these. These are the two right guys for that, too. Whether that thing’s in play or not in play, that fight is what it is. But everybody wants that belt. So, what the hell?”
Poirier previously stopped Gaethje at UFC on FOX 29 back in early 2018.
Combined, Poirier and Gaethje have a whopping 24 post-fight performance bonuses, which equates to $1.2 million in extra cash. Both “The Diamond” and “The Highlight” have come up short in respective title bouts but continue to lurk atop the 155-pound rankings with consistent (and action-packed) performances.
Two bad mothers—kers … but only one can be the baddest.
To see who else is fighting on the upcoming UFC 291: “Poirier vs. Gaethje 2” fight card click here.