The UFC returns to Salt Lake City for the UFC 291 pay-per-view event on July 29. It's a stacked card to say the least, and that's further evident by the headliner which is a BMF title fight and a rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Will it be a repeat of their first encounter back in April 2018 that saw Poirier earn the fourth-round TKO victory? Or will Gaethje's patient and composed approach end up being the downfall of “The Diamond”?

It's a tough fight to predict for fans and media like, let alone the fighters themselves, many of whom are on the fence. But with that said, here's a look at some of the most prominent MMA names and who they're predicting to win the rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje at UFC 291.

Which fighters are predicting Dustin Poirier to win?

Poirier has support from many within the MMA world thanks to his boxing and all-round fundamentals. That includes champions like Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev.

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski

“If I had to lean towards someone I feel like I’d start leaning towards Poirier. He obviously won the last time they fought, and I think I’d probably lean towards Dustin. But I mean, you can’t tell me that Justin Gaethje can’t catch him. And then you’ve seen even in Justin’s last fight, his fitness held on obviously fighting [Rafael] Fiziev.

“… So he might even be there the whole time, but I just think that Dustin can go the five rounds and he probably gets more and more technical as the fight goes on.”

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev

“What Gaethje have for Poirier? Nothing! Poirier have good boxing. Better than Gaethje. And that’s it.”

Former BMF champion Jorge Masvidal

“Yeah, [Dustin is winning]. Call me biased. Yeah I see him winning. Domestic violence on Gaethje by Dustin Poirier.”

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson

“I think Dustin's got it. With somebody who relies on their chin like Justin Gaethje, you don't want to do that against Dustin Poirier. … So I'm going for Poirier.”

UFC welterweight contender Geoff Neal

“I think Dustin is going to pull this one off again. It might not be as close as it was last time to be honest.”

Which fighters are predicting Justin Gaethje to win?

That said, Gaethje has support from many within the sport as well and that's largely owing to the fact that he doesn't fight as reckless as he previously did when he lost to Poirier over five years ago.

Lightweight contender Beneil Dariush

“That Justin [who fought Rafael Fiziev] is going to be a problem for anybody. Especially with the fact that a jab from him hurts. Bro, the guy can throw a jab and he can hurt you, you know? The last round with Fiziev, he threw a bunch of jabs and he busted up Fiziev. That's incredible.

“I think Justin can do this, I think he's hungrier. I think he's gotten better in terms of defense and footwork.”

Lightweight contender Jalin Turner

“I would lean more towards Justin. I think he's going to fine-tune some things because he looked good in his last fight against Fiziev. So, I'll probably give him the edge in the rematch.”

Lightweight contender Drew Dober

“It would be a beautiful fight, you know. We've seen the first one, it was a great fight. And you know, Justin stepped up, really stepped up. He fought someone ranked behind him… Justin Gaethje is a scary man. I know he's [Poirier] beat him [Gaethje] once, but Justin Gaethje is a scary man… I think Justin is a bit more hungry… I would lean toward Justin.”

“Skill-for-skill battle, I think Dustin wins it. The only reason, I'm saying Justin in the second fight is because purely desire and will. That's it.”

Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes

“I'm going with Gaethje but we've already seen them fight. … If you really watch that fight, he was in it up until the round he got finished, that's where you can see the fatigue and damage start to affect him. Prior to that, the first 15 minutes, it was back-and-forth, could have gone to anybody. I think Gaethje's evolved, he's a lot more defensive-minded, he doesn't just eat shots. I think he wins but I also know it's going to be a scrap.”

Conclusion

For just about everyone else, the fight was a toss-up and it's unsurprising given that Poirier and Gaethje are not only two of the best fighters in the world, but also two of the best brawlers in UFC history. Whatever the result at UFC 291, the fans will definitely be the winners.