Dustin Poirier’s title clash with reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev could very well be his last go inside the Octagon.
After coming up short on two prior occasions to claim the 155-pound crown, ‘The Diamond’ will go for the gold one last time on June 1 when he headlines UFC 302, emanating from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It will be his 30th time making the walk since signing with the promotion all the way back in 2011.
Along the way, Poirier has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best in the business, including Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, The Korean Zombie, and so many more.
Despite still having “a lot of tread on the tires,” Dustin Poirier can’t help but think about a life outside of fighting where he can spend more time with his daughter after dedicating more than two decades to the sport.
“It could be [my last fight],” Poirier said on The Fight Bananas Show. “I haven’t made an official decision yet, but it could be.
“I’ve said this over and over again, I still have a lot of tread on the tires. I can beat these young guys, I just did it. I still feel good, my body feels good, but it’s just like, how much do I want to give to this sport? Because you don’t ride for free. I just want to be a father. I missed my daughter’s final cheer placement thing on Sunday. That was a big deal to her. All the family went, it sucked to be here and not be there live to watch it. I just miss out on a lot of stuff, and like I said, I have a whole other life outside of fighting. So, I’ve put in my time and earned my stripes.
“I don’t wanna make any decisions just off of the way I’m feeling. I need to go out there and fight.”
Dustin Poirier is Ready to Cross The Last Item Off His MMA List
Poirier’s upcoming title opportunity was more a matter of circumstance than anything else. With both Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje coming up short in their respective bouts at UFC 300, it left the lightweight division in a tough spot.
‘The Diamond’ is a mere 2-2 in his last four outings, but a spectacular come-from-behind win over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 was more than enough to earn interest from Islam Makhachev, who was hellbent on defending his crown this summer one way or another.
With the unlikely opportunity dropped at his doorstep, Dustin Poirier plans to leave it all in the cage and hopefully “finish his story” at UFC 302.
“When I hear that, I’m aligned with that,” Poirier said of fans telling him to finish his story. “This is the last chapter. I want to finish this story, and close this book, but nothing’s guaranteed. Fighting the best pound-for-pound in the world, I’m doing everything I can to put myself in the best position to get my hand raised. I’m fully committed. I’m gonna go out there June 1 and give it my all.
“We’ll see. Destiny doesn’t make mistakes. If I’m supposed to be the world champion, I’ll have that belt wrapped around me on June 1. All I can do is just pay attention to the work. What needs to get done right now, my mindset. The outcome is gonna happen so I just need to focus on the work right now. It’s been a long career. This is the final thing I need to cross off this list.”
Watch the full episode below:
