Legendary UFC fighter Dustin Poirier, who recently concluded his illustrious career, expressed regret that he didn`t get to compete against several iconic opponents. His final bout took place at UFC 318 in his home state of Louisiana, where he engaged in a thrilling third encounter against Max Holloway. Despite losing by decision, which completed the trilogy in Holloway`s favor, Poirier confirmed his decision to step away from the sport, symbolically leaving his gloves in the center of the Octagon to a standing ovation from the New Orleans crowd. Now, just days after UFC 318, Poirier has time to reflect on his career.
Dustin Poirier`s Dream Opponents
Reflecting on his impressive career, Poirier noted that he was fortunate to battle many elite fighters, including two victories over Conor McGregor, and bouts against Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Max Holloway. He also faced formidable champions like Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Charles Oliveira. However, in a recent interview on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Poirier admitted there were a few other legends he wished he had fought.
Specifically, he named BJ Penn, whom he considered the greatest lightweight of all time. He also expressed surprise that his path never crossed with Donald Cerrone in the Octagon, and mentioned Nate Diaz, a fight that was close to happening multiple times. Despite these unfulfilled matchups, Poirier stated with confidence: “I fought the best fighters of my era. I can confidently say, `I fought the best guys in the world at my weight class.`” BJ Penn, despite losses in his later fights, remains one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015.
Poirier Affirms Retirement Decision
Dustin Poirier affirmed his retirement decision during UFC 318. After his farewell performance, Poirier stated that the decision to leave the sport was the right one. In an interview on “The Bohnfire” podcast, he revealed that at UFC 318, he adopted a “self-preservation” approach for the first time in his career. Despite this, Holloway knocked him down twice in the opening round. Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling even suggested that Holloway intentionally “pulled back” his punches, sparing Poirier.
Meanwhile, Michael Johnson, a former rival of Poirier`s, expressed his desire to fight Holloway after their respective wins at UFC 318. Holloway has yet to respond to this callout.
