Dan Hardy Thinks Dustin Poirier Will Beat Michael Johnson

In an interview with MMA Junkie, UFC analyst Dan Hardy predicted that Dustin Poirier would beat Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night 94 tonight. Here are highlights:

On how he breaks down a fight: “(When I was a fighter) I would go to the same effort but I didn’t have the same sight I do now. When I was fighting, I was so caught up with what I was doing and constantly putting myself in the equation when I was breaking down fights. I feel like it closed me off to a lot of things, whereas now I can remove myself from the equation and get really deep into a fighter and delve into their strengths and weaknesses.”

On who will win between Poirier and Johnson: “I give a slight advantage to Dustin Poirier. I think his confidence is at an all-time high right now. I think he feels so much better now he’s moved back to lightweight. Some of the guys he has taken out have been very impressive, whereas Michael Johnson will be feeling the pressure coming off two losses. I certainly feel like Dustin feeds off his confidence a lot more than some fighters, especially given his fighting style. He needs to be confident as he moves forward behind powerful punches. If not, he’s going to be on the end of Michael Johnson’s jab all night. And that’s not where he wants to be.”