Dustin Poirier finds himself in a weird spot for the first time in his mixed martial arts career.
‘The Diamond’ holds wins over some of the biggest names in the history of the lightweight division, including Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler, and Conor McGregor on two separate occasions. But after coming up short in two bids to capture UFC gold, Poirier is in a bit of a standstill, waiting for other big names in the division to make their move before he can make his.
“I’m in a weird spot,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “It’s my first time in this position in my whole career where I’m still at the top, but waiting for something big to happen. I’ve always just fought to climb and claw my way up to the top to get big fights and now I’m here, but I’m also running businesses outside of fighting.
“I have a wine market in Louisiana. I have a hot sauce company. I have a lot of things going on. My wife and I are always setting goals and working with the foundation we have, The Good Fight back in Louisiana. Really busy outside the cage, but waiting for something big.”
.@DustinPoirier admits he's in a "weird spot" as he searches for the next logical move in his legendary career.
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— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 19, 2023
Poirier’s last appearance inside the Octagon came at UFC 291 in July. ‘The Diamond’ headlined the event opposite Justin Gaethje in a long-awaited rematch between two of the division’s most beloved competitors. Poirier walked away with a fourth-round knockout in their first meeting, but this time, ‘The Highlight’ would see his hand raised via a spectacular head kick KO in the second stanza.
“I was kind of in this position before I took this last Gaethje fight,” Poirier continued. “When they called and said Gaethje, it got me nervous. It got me excited to fight. When I hear a name that does that to me, then I’ll know. When they call with an offer and I hear that name and I feel that feeling, then that’s going to be the one. I just don’t know [who]. I haven’t heard it yet.”
Dustin Poirier hopes to be A part of UFC 300
Recent rumors suggest that we could see Dustin Poirier return to action at the promotion’s next big milestone event, UFC 300.
As much as ‘The Diamond’ would love to feature on the historic card, finding the right opponent is his overriding concern.
“I’m not gonna be here for UFC 400,” Poirier said. “I didn’t fight on UFC 200. It would be a big moment in my career and a huge night for me in the history books, but we’ll see what happens. The opponent needs to be right more than the event. Everything just needs to be right.”