Former United States President, Donald Trump may have claimed earlier this summer how his all-time favorite fighter in combat sports is former UFC champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, however, showed some praise for the Russian’s prior foe, Dustin Poirier following his most recent Octagon walk.
Poirier, a former interim lightweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined since he tackled on the above-mentioned, Nurmagomedov’s protege, Islam Makhachev in May – suffering a fifth round D’Arce choke submission loss in the pair’s undisputed title fight.
And receiving plaudits for his showdown and performance with Makhachev in New Jersey, Poirier has now been lauded as a “really great fighter” by Republican candidate, Trump during his latest podcast tour.
Donald Trump heaps praise on UFC star, Dustin Poirier
“He’s (Dustin Poirier) great, boy, I’ll tell you he’s a warrior,” Donald Trump told Theo Von. “Whether you like him or not, he’s a warrior. No, he didn’t lose that fight [against Islam Makhachev]. He’s really, man, his fight was tough. He was tough and I didn’t expect that same fight. He makes people suffer, there’s no question about that. He’s a pro – he’s a professional.”
“As that fight went along, he just got stronger and stronger,” Donald Trump explained. “He was getting pounded and was going to be choked out four different times and he just wouldn’t let it happen. Man, he’s good, he’s a really great fighter.”
Confirming plans for one fight fight in the Octagon amid speculation regarding his fighting future in combat sports, the above-mentioned Lafayette striker, Poirier welcomed the chance to box long-time rival, Nate Diaz to boot.
“I would love to [box],” Dustin Poirier said. “That would be fun and exciting. … Just a change of speeds, different training camp, just something different. I’ve been doing MMA a while. I still love the training camps and love fighting, but to go to purely boxing, the whole training camp would be a lot less wearing on my body. No wrestling, no jiu-jitsu, running, swimming, that’s fun.
“I’d box Nate [Diaz],” Dustin Poirier explained. “… I’d rather [fight] Nate in boxing, I think.”