Dustin Poirier received a hero’s welcome upon his return to Lafayette, Louisiana.
Stepping into the main event spotlight at UFC 302 for his third and final shot at lightweight gold, Poirier came up short against reigning and defending world champion Islam Makhachev. Despite succumbing to a darce choke in the fifth round, ‘The Diamond’ offered an impressive showing and was dead even with the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ on one judge’s scorecard going into the final five.
Days removed from the loss, Poirier returned to The Bayou State where fans and media were waiting to give him a proper greeting.
Dustin Poirier is met with cheers upon returning home to Lafayette, Louisiana after his fight against Islam Makhachev at #UFC302
#UFC #MMA
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 4, 2024
Daniel Cormier believes dustin poirier has plenty left in the tank
Dustin Poirier’s scrap with Makhachev may have been the final fight of his illustrious career. However, he did leave the door cracked open for a return. If Daniel Cormier gets his wish, ‘The Diamond’ will walk through it once again before laying down his gloves for good.
“If Dustin Poirier’s leaving this game, he leaves us with a ton of memories,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel following UFC 302. “I don’t want to see him go. I don’t know that he should go. I think that what Dustin Poirier should do is take the big fights. He’s such an attraction now in the world of fighting that he’s got a lot of money to be made, but also a lot of big fights to be had.
“He’s only 35 years old. He can do this for a long time. Maybe don’t fight as frequently, but continue to make that walk. Because once you’re done, you’re done and you can’t come back from it. Sometimes that sucks, especially for a guy that seemingly has a lot of years ahead of him.”
Recently, ex-featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski showed interest in throwing hands with Poirier before 2024 comes to a close. There have also been rumors of a potential fight with fellow former three-time title challenger Colby Covington.
If ‘The Diamond’ sticks around, who would you like to see him go toe-to-toe with in what would be his 40th career fight?
