Athletes
Dustin Poirier - Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
"The Diamond" Is Ready To Enter Deep Waters In His Lightweight Title Fight Against Islam Makhachev At UFC 302
This probably isn’t what anyone was expecting the first half of 2024 to look like for Dustin Poirier.
Coming off a July 2023 loss to Justin Gaethje, the former interim lightweight champion took some time off, pondered retirement briefly, then surprisingly accepted a March bout with talented, but unheralded, Benoit Saint Denis.
Surprise.
Order UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier
Poirier weathered some early storms against the Frenchman, before finishing the fight in the second round.
Surprise.
Then he got a shot at Islam Makhachev’s undisputed crown in the main event of UFC 302 this Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
Surprise.
Poirier laughs.
How To Watch UFC 302 In Your Country
“I think I go into every year trying to shake stuff up,” he said, making it sound like it’s all been a master plan.
So was it?
“I had no idea. It felt like the end of the world last year and this year I'm on a high. It's the roller coaster of fighting; you never know what's going to happen. You’ve just got to keep fighting, keep pushing forward and hope for the best. But things have worked in my favor in 2024.”
All of Dustin Poirier's UFC Guillotine Attempts
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All of Dustin Poirier's UFC Guillotine Attempts
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That’s a nice way of putting it, but to get to a spot where he’s 25 minutes or less from achieving his career-long dream of becoming an undisputed champion has nothing to do with chance. It takes hard work, obviously, but also a willingness to roll the dice and bet on yourself. And that’s what Poirier did when he agreed to face Saint Denis in Miami. Was it the shake-up “The Diamond” needed?
“I don't think I needed it, but it's nice,” he laughs. “It's nice to be back in a good spot.”
The romantic notion is that Poirier was at an all-time low after the Gaethje rematch and was willing to do anything to get back in the title conversation. If that meant facing a hungry young gun looking to make a name off the veteran, so be it. Well, that’s not exactly how it happened.
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“There was nobody available and I just lost a big fight,” Poirier explains. “A lot of the guys in the top of the division were tied up or had fights coming up and you can't hit the lottery every time. For the past few years, every fight has been such a huge fight, a huge name, and it was just the right place and the right time. He was available. He was on a win streak. They were pushing him, he's representing France. And I wanted to fight. I wanted to right the ship and his name is who they hit me with. And I was surprised as anyone when that name came, especially after the run I've had fighting legends. But somebody gave me my chance and that's just what it is. That's the fight game. It was time for me to fight somebody and show I'm still deserving of my spot.”
He did. The man from Louisiana who made his name fighting legends gave Saint Denis his shot, and the Frenchman gave it his best effort. But Poirier got the job done with a blistering second-round knockout, and here he is, in Newark, in the biggest fight of his career.
Again. Poirier has won plenty of those “biggest fights” before. But he also lost two of them against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, dropping his chance to put “undisputed” on his resume. These days, the 35-year-old could decide to retire right now, and he’s put together the body of work to earn a place in the UFC Hall of Fame. That’s not going to happen, though. Not now, not yet. There’s a fight to be fought, and while Poirier’s talent is enough to get the job done against any 155-pounder in the world, what may serve him best against Makhachev is the fact that he hates losing more than he loves winning.
“You have to have that kind of mindset doing what we do,” said Poirier. “Of course, I know every time I step out there into those lights, anything could happen and it does happen. But I hate losing and I work so hard and I believe that I can beat anybody in the world. So still, when I lose, I can't believe it when I get to the locker room. I can't believe that I lost. I expect to win every fight and beat these guys.”
MORE UFC 302: Fight Card Preview | UFC 302 Embedded | Makhachev's Legacy | Main Event Breakdown
And losing is simply not acceptable. Most athletes are resigned to the fact that someone is not coming back with a win after a sporting competition, that someone has to lose. Poirier isn’t about to be one of those people.
“I don't even know if it's an actual sport,” he said. “This is man versus man, as pure as it gets. Honestly, I don't like to call it a sport.”
But others do, and while Makhachev is a dominant champion who has won some tough fights, he’s never been pushed to the dark places Poirier likes to go.
UFC 302 Breakdown | Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier
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UFC 302 Breakdown | Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier
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“I think he might be overlooking me, but I also think he's ready for a fight,” said Poirier. “The people he's surrounded with, Khabib and all those tough wrestlers, they compete hard. They do. And I don't think they would let him get into a mental place where he wasn't ready to fight. It's just up to me to make it a fight. I have to make it a fight and not let him hold me down and try to drown me and make it a sport. I have to make it a fight.”
There’s the key. Survive the takedowns and ground control and make it ugly. Make it a fight where Makhachev may be bruised, may be bloodied, and may be looking for a moment’s rest that Poirier won’t give him. Poirier has done that to some of the toughest fighters in the game, so reaching into that bag of nasty will be nothing new this weekend.
“Every fight, that's where I thrive,” he said. “Those kinds of fights are where I do my best work, those knock down, drag 'em out fights. I can outlast these guys and push through the hurt. That's how I've won so many fights, just being tougher than these guys and being more willing to push through that fire. I love that. That's what fighting is to me.”
If he does that, then maybe he beats Makhachev, takes the undisputed belt and finishes his story his way with another surprise.
“Being in the Hall of Fame is a huge thing to me,” he said. “And I think a win and being the world champion solidifies the Hall of Fame resume. It just puts the cherry on top. And, honestly, I'm not going to be doing this much longer. I want to finish the story, and this last chapter, by pulling off a huge upset.”
Is he hinting at something?
Poirier laughs. I join him, opining that if he retires, the payday associated with a fourth Conor McGregor fight could entice him back.
“I don't need it,” said Poirier.
But does he want it?
“I don't want it and I don't need it,” he said. “I want to be a father, a husband, I want to be home with my family barbecuing. I want a regular schedule. I want to be a civilian again, but I just have to go through that fire one more time. The goal is to be, no matter what happens, content. I just want to be content. I want to feel content about my whole career. And that's all I'm chasing.”
UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier took place live from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 1, 2024. See the Final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses, and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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