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ABU DHABI – Dustin Poirier expects to win at UFC 242, but he said it’s on Khabib Nurmagomedov to deliver, given the circumstances around Saturday’s event.

Poirier (25-5 MMA, 17-4 UFC) enters his lightweight championship unifier with Nurmagomedov (27-0 MMA, 11-0 UFC) as a significant betting underdog. That’s largely due to the way in which “The Eagle” has dominated his career fights thus far, paired with the fact he’s competing in a relatively local event that will have the crowd, including a rare appearance of his father in the corner, on his side.

Although Poirier doesn’t tend to think much about the macro scheme of things, he sees more weight on Nurmagomedov’s shoulders heading into fight night.

“I always put a lot of pressure on myself, but he probably has more pressure to perform,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “Everybody is counting me out. I can only do better than what they think. They hold him to such a high standard he has to go out there and dominate me or he’s going to do less than everyone expects him to do.”

UFC 242 takes place at The Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The lightweight title bout headlines the pay-per-view main card, which follows prelims on FX and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

Nurmagomedov has never lost in his MMA career, and the rounds in which he’s been bested are few and far between. Poirier’s goal going into the contest is to see how the Russian reacts to unfamiliar circumstances.

“I think he’s going to be tough and if he hits adversity he’s going to keep grinding forward,” Poirier said. “He seems like that kind of guy, but until we see it happen or he’s been put in that position, it’s tough to say. I really don’t know. But the plan is to put him in those positions.”

If Poirier finds a way to dethrone Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 he would be able to boast a run of successful performances against five fighters who have captured a championship in a major organization. Not many people can lay claim to that type of resume, and “The Diamond” thinks it would solidify his place as the top 155-pound fighter to put on a pair of MMA gloves.

“The run I’m on right now. If I go out there out and stop Khabib, that’s the current featherweight champ (Max Holloway), the current lightweight champ, I’d beat them both back-to-back,” Poirier said. “Then look at the other champs I’ve beat: (Anthony) Pettis, Eddie (Alvarez), (Justin) Gaethje, that’s a lot of champions in a row. The perseverance I’ve had to show to just get to this opportunity is a part of that story to be the best.”