Five Rounds: Poirier talks dos Anjos-Cerrone, Diaz's suspension, more

— -- Each week, ESPN.com writer and MMA Live Extra analyst Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts.

This week, Okamoto squares off with UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier to debate the latest news and trends. Poirier (18-4), who is 2-0 since moving up to 155 pounds, will face Joseph Duffy on Oct. 24 in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Dublin. 

1.  Following TJ Dillashaw's split from Team Alpha Male, what are the chances we see him against Urijah Faber in 2016 ?

Poirier: I think there's a great chance that fight happens. Urijah hasn't lost at 135 pounds since I think he fought for the belt [against Renan Barao in February 2014]. It's a good storyline. I think the chances are up there. I've read over headlines on my Twitter and kind of kept up with what's going on that way. This is a business, at the end of the day. Your camp helps you out and takes you as far as they can, but I left my original gym in Louisiana -- on good terms -- but I had to leave to get training elsewhere. I heard the reason TJ might be doing it is financial, that the gym might be giving him money to train there. This guy's got a wife, a short window of opportunity to make the most so he can ride off into the sunset. You've got to do what you you've got to do in this business.

Okamoto: I'd say 80, 85 percent? There was always a relatively good chance of it happening, but after these last seven days ... it has really taken off. I wasn't surprised to see Dillashaw make a permanent move to Denver. A UFC champion consistently splitting fight camps between two states? That was never going to work in the long run. It's expensive and, for lack of a better word, just a pain to do so. I'm also not completely surprised Faber isn't happy that the first UFC champion who comes out of his Team Alpha Male has decided to split within his third defense. Again, you could see that coming. What has surprised me a little bit is how quickly there became this public animosity between them. It blew up bigger and faster than I honestly thought it would. And if you don't think the UFC pays attention to these things, well, then you aren't paying attention. Regardless of who wins, loses or draws in their next fights, one has to believe the UFC will capitalize on this situation.

2.  A White House petition in favor of lifting the five-year suspension on Nick Diaz closes Friday, and it was announced that Joe Warren recently failed a drug test for marijuana. Should athletic commissions even test for marijuana?

Poirier: I personally don't think it's a performance-enhancing drug. It's one thing if commissions are doing it to make sure nobody's doing anything illegal, but nowadays it's not that big of a deal to smoke weed. I think he trains out of Denver. I mean, if his training camp is in Denver and it's legal there, then that's the law. Now that it's being legalized, I don't think it should be on any banned-substance list. It seems like they are lightening up on it, and they should. It's not performance-enhancing. They need to be going after these guys who are juiced up.

Okamoto: I don't believe they should. The urine tests that commissions are relying on to determine marijuana use is flawed. They test for an inactive metabolite of the drug, which is affected by several variables. The drug itself is not even illegal outside of competition, at least as far as athletic commissions are concerned. Athletes are only supposed to be tested for marijuana "in-competition." I understand, in theory, why it might be important to stop an impaired athlete from competition, but that's not really what's happening with these failed drug tests. They're not getting the results of the tests back until well after the fight anyway, and the tests themselves do not offer irrefutable proof of when exactly the drug was last used. How in the world can you suspend an athlete based on these flaws, let alone suspend one for five years?

3.  Who is your early pick to win the UFC lightweight title fight on Dec. 19 between Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone?

Poirier: I'm going with Cerrone in that one. He just looks like a killer lately, and I think he's going to outwork dos Anjos.

Okamoto: Every day we get closer to that fight I lean more towards dos Anjos -- and that's probably who I'll pick by the time it arrives. But how can anyone not have at least a small feeling in their gut that Cerrone is going to finish this current run off with a belt around his waist? The roll that he has been on and the risks he has taken in the last two years, it deserves a happy ending, does it not? Ultimately, though, I like dos Anjos. And I like him for the same reason Poirier says he's taking Cerrone. Nobody is out-working dos Anjos in a lightweight fight right now. Pressure is one of his best attributes.

4.  A welterweight bout between former UFC veterans Jon Fitch and Yushin Okami headlines Saturday's  WSOF 24 card. At this point, which of the two has had the better career?

Poirier: Man, both are really good and really tough guys. I'd guess I'd go with Fitch. Nothing specific about his career makes me say that, I'd just lean towards him.

Okamoto: It's close. With Fitch, I have a pretty strong feeling he would have won a UFC championship had Georges St-Pierre not existed. I don't think I quite feel the same way about Okami, had Anderson Silva not existed. Okami represented a longtime Japanese presence for the UFC, which is a nice, distinguishable aspect of his career. Fitch has been one of the most outspoken proponents on fighter rights, however, and that seems very likely to continue. I think the correct answer here is Fitch, but that's no knock on Okami.

5.  As of today, what's your dream lineup for UFC 200 on July 9, 2016, in Las Vegas?

Poirier:  Daniel Cormier- Jon Jones, Faber-Dillashaw, St-Pierre- Robbie Lawler, me vs. whoever is the champion at 155 pounds [and] Ronda Rousey- Cris "Cyborg" [Justino].

Okamoto: Main event: Rousey-Cyborg. Co-main: Jones-Cormier. Co-co-main: Anthony Pettis- Jose Aldo (for the purposes of my fantasy UFC 200 card, Pettis has reclaimed the lightweight title). Co-co-co-main: Nick Diaz-Lawler II (again, for the purposes of my fantasy card, Diaz has been fully reinstated from five-year suspension.) First fight of the PPV: Conor McGregor-Cerrone.