Dustin Poirier meets Akira Corassani at TUF Nations Finale
Dustin Poirier (15-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will look for his fourth win in five fights when he meets fellow featherweight Akira Corassani (12-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at the TUF Nations Finale in April.
UFC officials today confirmed the bout following an initial tweet from Postmedia News’ Dave Deibert.
The event, which serves as the live finale for “The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia†reality series, takes place April 16 at Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It airs on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Poirier, who’s ranked No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, most recently knocked out Diego Brandao at UFC 168. The 25-year-old is now 3-1 over his past four fights, which includes wins over Erik Koch and Jonathan Brookins.
He takes on Corassani, who owns a perfect 3-0 UFC record since his stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 14.†Although plagued by injuries over the past few years, he’s now 9-1 (with one no-contest) in his past 11 fights. The 31-year-old Renzo Gracie Combat Team fighter’s current three-fight winning streak includes UFC victories over Andy Ogle, Robbie Peralta and Maximo Blanco (via disqualification due to an illegal knee).
The latest TUF Nations Finale card includes:
Michael Bisping vs. Tim Kennedy
Patrick Cote vs. Kyle Noke
opponent TBA vs. opponent TBA – “TUF Nations†middleweight final
opponent TBA vs. opponent TBA – “TUF Nations†welterweight final
Akira Corassani vs. Dustin Poirier
Mark Bocek vs. Evan Dunham
Shayna Baszler vs. Sarah Kaufman
K.J. Noons vs. Sam Stout
Steve Bosse vs. Ryan Jimmo
Mitch Gagnon vs. Tim Gorman
Dustin Kimura vs. George Roop
