Poirier Mulls Retirement In Statement Following UFC 242 Loss

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Have we seen the last of ‘Diamond’ Dustin Poirier? Maybe, according to a new statement from the fighter following his loss in Abu Dhabi.

Dustin Poirier came to Abu Dhabi in the best shape with the best training camp and sharpest mind ever. None of that was enough to give him much of a chance at all against dominating lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Aside from one moment in the second where he clipped Khabib in a striking exchange, Poirier spent the rest of the fight on his butt against the cage getting pummeled by his Dagestani opponent.

”I can’t get him off me, man!” a desperate sounding Poirier told his corner in-between the second and third round. He’d go for a hail mary guillotine choke in the third, but it wouldn’t work. Soon after he had Khabib on his back and he was tapping to a rear naked choke 2:06 into round 3 (watch the highlights and finish here).

Poirier was clearly emotional after the fight and during the post fight press conference. A little time only has him feeling worse, it seems. In a new statement released via MMA Junkie, Poirier seems to be considering retirement.

”Thank you guys for the support, it means a lot to me,” he said in the video. “If I choose to fight again, I’ll be back strong. If not I’ll see what God has in store for me.”

We can only hope these are the words of a disappointed man that isn’t thinking clearly. Dustin Poirier is just 30 years old and has a lot of good fighting years left in him if he chooses to keep going. A lot of good fights. And if the stars align, probably another championship run. Mixed martial arts is like one big game of rock paper scissors. He may not be able to defeat Khabib’s wrestling, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of other top fighters out there he can whup.

We’ll just leave this for our final word on the subject:

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