Ranking the fights of a drama-filled MMA weekend: Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 and UFC 291 - ESPN

Fighters looking forward to this weekend as their big chance to draw attention to themselves should head back to the gym to work on their timing. They picked the wrong Saturday to expect to make the night's biggest splash with fans, since they will be competing for oohs and ahhs with an expected slugfest between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje at UFC 291.

As I set out to rank the weekend's fights, let's just get this out of the way: No. 1 is not up for discussion. That position is securely in possession of Poirier and Gaethje, for whom expectations are always transcendent. Poirier has won eight fight of the night bonuses (tied with Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar, and Edson Barboza) — no one in UFC history has pocketed more. Gaethje is right behind him with seven of those $50,000 checks.

And then there's their joint history. The first Poirier vs. Gaethje tussle was one of the best fights of 2018, one that forced many to hold their breath throughout those turbulent 15½ minutes. Poirier won the back-and-forth scrap by TKO early in Round 4. He's gotten better since then. So has Gaethje. I know I'm not alone in impatiently counting the minutes until Saturday's main event in Salt Lake City (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV).

But there are some pretty tasty appetizers on the menu prior to the weekend's main course. Thanks to UFC 291 sharing Saturday night with a Bellator and Rizin co-promotion over in Japan, we have to give these rankings the full top-10 treatment.

Both events are packed with appealing fights. Maybe some fighters other than Poirier and Gaethje will find their way under the spotlight after all.

Don't talk to me about a BMF belt being on the line. The shiny trinket's purpose is to add grandeur to a nontitle matchup, but the