“I think this could be it.”
How good is Dustin Poirier?
“The Diamond” made us forget that UFC 302 was an excruciatingly tedious affair, with nine of 12 fights going to the judges’ scorecards, including last night’s UFC 302 co-main event between former middleweight champion Sean Strickland and one-time 185-pound title challenger Paulo Costa.
More on that stinker here.
Poirier was not, however, good enough to dethrone reigning lightweight kingpin, Islam Makhachev, falling to the defending champ by way of fifth-round submission (highlights here). This marks the third loss for Poirier in as many title fights, with all three attempts ending by way of submission.
So what’s next for the former featherweight?
Poirier has been very candid about the timeline of his career and previously told the combat sports media that each fight could be his last. Not everyone in the UFC community is a fan of that fight-by-fight approach, though losing another title bout and running out of reasons to compete — outside of the sizable payday — could put a scratch in “The Diamond’s” motivation.
Even if he remains one of the best lightweights in the world.
“I know I can compete with the best of these guys,” Poirier told Joe Rogan after the fight. “If I do fight again, what am I fighting for? Is it just to fight? I’ve done that 50 times. I don’t know. I got a little girl I love, I gotta see. I think this could be it, honestly Joe. I’m not 100-percent but if this is the last fight, I want to dedicate this journey to the people who made me the man I am, and that’s the women in my life.”
Poirier paid tribute to his late grandmother, as well as his mom, wife, and daughter.
The former interim champ turned 35 earlier this year and stands at 30-9, 1 NC with 23 finishes. In addition, he’s already fought just about everyone there is to fight in the 155-pound weight class and I’m not sure you could convince “The Diamond” to stick around for APEX headliners against No. 7-ranked Beneil Dariush or even English sensation Paddy Pimblett.
Expect to hear more on Poirier’s decision after he’s had time to regroup and put UFC 302 behind him.
For complete UFC 302 results and live play-by-play click here. To check out the latest and greatest UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive events archive right here.