Tag: Dustin Poirier

One-Punch KO? Dustin Poirier Weighs In on Ilia Topuria’s Bold Claim for Max Holloway Fight

Dustin Poirier on Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway UFC 308Ilia Topuria is confident coming into his title defense against Max Holloway headlining UFC 308. But Dustin Poirier explains…

Dustin Poirier on Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway UFC 308

Ilia Topuria is confident coming into his title defense against Max Holloway headlining UFC 308. But Dustin Poirier explains that it might not be as easy as the Georgian-Spanish athlete thinks.

Dustin Poirier on Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

The reigning UFC featherweight champion ‘El Matador’ Ilia Topuria captured the division crown when he stopped top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski by way of knockout. At UFC 308, Topuria feels that he will do the same to the former champion ‘Blessed’ Max Holloway. But, MMA icon Dustin Poirier says that it will not be that simple.

‘The Diamond’ Poirier has won half his professional MMA bouts via knockout but was unable to put away ‘Blessed‘ when they fought years prior. In fact, Holloway has never lost by knockout in his career despite facing a series of dangerous strikers such as Conor McGregor, Poirier, Jose Aldo, and Justin Gaethje, among others.

Dustin Poirier backed by Dana White to make UFC return: 'You can never count him out'

Speaking to Mike Bohn in an interview, Dustin Poirier commented on Topuria trying to knock out Holloway. He said:

“To go out there and one-punch Max is going to be almost impossible, I think. It can happen, for sure. But I don’t think it will. This is a big test. If [Topuria] goes in there and beats Max, or lasts with Max in the volume game, outpoints him, outfights him technically on the feet—that’s going to say so much about Ilia and where he’s going to go. I can’t pick against Max. I could see Topuria winning, but Max’s experience and the championship fights he’s been in… it’s hard to bet against that.” [Ht MMANews]

‘El Matador’ Ilia Topuria will be aiming to do just that in his main event bout against the highly skilled Max Holloway. ‘Blessed’ is known for his volume-striking while Topuria is a knockout technician.

Dan Hooker Explains Favoring Gaethje Fight Over Poirier Rematch

Though many fans are clamoring for him to run it back with Dustin Poirier, UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker doesn’t appear completely interested in “The Diamond.” Following a tough stretch of results, Hooker has firmly bounced back in recent times. He most recently returned to title contention by upsetting the odds to outpoint the highly […]

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Explains Favoring Gaethje Fight Over Poirier Rematch at MMA News.

Though many fans are clamoring for him to run it back with Dustin Poirier, UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker doesn’t appear completely interested in “The Diamond.”

Following a tough stretch of results, Hooker has firmly bounced back in recent times. He most recently returned to title contention by upsetting the odds to outpoint the highly regarded Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 this past August.

With that result in Perth, Australia, “The Hangman” could be one win away from a possible title shot. And because of that, Hooker isn’t looking to face a contender on their “way out the door.”

Following his latest win, the City Kickboxing standout initially pointed to a rematch with multi-time title challenger Poirier as a desired next fight. But that interest has seemingly dissipated, as Hooker revealed during an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned.

While acknowledging other options such as a first-time clash with Justin Gaethje, Hooker showed a surprising lack of interest in a second dance opposite Poirier.

The New Zealander cited Poirier’s planned retirement in 2025 as the reason behind his reservations when it comes to that fight, stating that he’s not keen on doing battle with somebody who has one foot into retirement.

“I’ve had a lot of the guys in the top five say my name,” Hooker said. “Arman (Tsarukyan) mentioned it for an interim title. Gaethje mentioned my name. Poirier, obviously, mentioned my name. I’m keen on any of those fights. … Dustin, I don’t know.

He laid his gloves down in his last fight, then he’s coming out and he’s saying he’ll do another one but like, as a retirement fight. I don’t know. I’m not really interested in kicking someone on the way out the door,” Hooker continued. “Gaethje, that’s obviously a fight fan’s dream, that right there. Someone new, there’s something there that fans have wanted to see for a very long time and finally kind of makes sense.”

“The Diamond” originally looked set to hang up the gloves following his failed title bid opposite Islam Makhachev this past June, but he’s since recommitted to the continuation of his fighting career for the time being.

And Poirier could even be set for two more outings should the Louisiana-held UFC event at which he hopes to retire not be scheduled until the second half of 2025.

For now, it would appear fans can cut Hooker from their speculation when it comes to Poirier’s final foe/s. That is, unless “The Diamond’s” pitch for a BMF tournament comes to fruition…

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Explains Favoring Gaethje Fight Over Poirier Rematch at MMA News.

Dustin Poirier Backtracks On ‘Last Fight’ Plan: ‘Could Be Dos Mas…’ 

Retirement appears to be moving further and further away in the career of former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. Poirier initially looked set to bring his memorable stint as an active fighter to an end following a fourth-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 this past June — a result that marked […]

Continue Reading Dustin Poirier Backtracks On ‘Last Fight’ Plan: ‘Could Be Dos Mas…’  at MMA News.

Retirement appears to be moving further and further away in the career of former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.

Poirier initially looked set to bring his memorable stint as an active fighter to an end following a fourth-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 this past June — a result that marked his third failed bid to achieve undisputed champion status.

But as the weeks went on post-fight, “The Diamond” began to hint at one final foray into the cage, eventually confirming that as the plan in social media posts and during interviews a couple of months on from the Newark loss.

During an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, however, Poirier revised his plans — in a positive way for fans of the Louisianan star.

Poirier confirmed that the gloves will not be getting hung up yet, and he even went a step further than before by revealing potential plans for two more competitive appearances inside the UFC Octagon.

“I will fight again,” Poirier said. “It’s just how this thing unfolds — we’ll see when I do retire. It could be uno mas (one more), it could be dos mas (two more). I had a good meeting at the UFC headquarters. I was out there with Celsius at a trade show and I had a good meeting.

“There are some things verbally that we’ve spoke about that are looking promising, but I can’t share yet. We’re close,” Poirier continued. “First quarter of next year. It’s looking (like two more fights). I haven’t signed anything, we’re just weighing out options and talking about timeframes. I love the chaos, so if a crazy fight is presented, I gotta do it.”

The key to how everything could unfold? Rumored plans for a UFC event in his home state of Louisiana, and the timeline for that coming to fruition.

“My goal is to get an event here in Louisiana. Whether that’s Lafayette, New Orleans — I want to lay the gloves down where I started fighting,” Poirier stated. “That is my goal. Just (depends on) opponent availability and when makes sense. … I’m about 95 percent sure that we get this done. It’s just, for me, on my part, do I fight before that? Because the longer I’m away from the sport, I just feel removed and I’m not with everything, not training every single day.

“I might train three times a week, I’m always staying in shape. But just technique and fundamentals and things, you have to be on the mats every day,” Poirier added. “I don’t want to wait until summer or end of next year before they can come back to Louisiana. So, maybe I need a fight before then just to stay in the mix, stay fresh, so I can retire how I want to be — on top.”

Poirier’s latest comments come just days after he teased fight news on social media this past weekend.

Having appeared on the brink of calling it quits just four months ago, 2025 now looks set to be a big year for “The Diamond,” as he prepares for a possible outing in the first quarter before a potential homecoming fight for his farewell toward the back end of the year.

Continue Reading Dustin Poirier Backtracks On ‘Last Fight’ Plan: ‘Could Be Dos Mas…’  at MMA News.

UFC CEO Dana White Open to Dustin Poirier’s Four-Man BMF Tournament

UFC CEO Dana White Open to Dustin Poirier’s Four-Man BMF TournamentDana White is down with a four-man BMF tournament. During an appearance on SiriusXM’s MMA Today podcast, three-time lightweight…

UFC CEO Dana White Open to Dustin Poirier’s Four-Man BMF Tournament

Dana White is down with a four-man BMF tournament.

During an appearance on SiriusXM’s MMA Today podcast, three-time lightweight title challenger Dustin Poirier suggested a four-man tourney to determine who the baddest motherf*cker in mixed martial arts truly is.

“Now that excites me. Because that kind of stuff is for the dogs. That’s like old Pride days or Grand Prix,” Poirier said. “That’s a real BMF. If you can fight a tournament in one night, multiple opponents, that’s the definition of BMF. That would be it. If they put that together and it was a one-night tournament, that would be it” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Dana White

Reacting to the idea following Tuesday’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, the UFC CEO gave it his stamp of approval.

“Sounds fun. Never thought about it, but yeah, I love it.”

Thus far, there have been three BMF titleholders since the belt was first introduced in 2019. Jorge Masvidal became the inaugural BMF champion via a third-round doctor’s stoppage TKO against Nate Diaz at UFC 266. ‘Gamebred’ never defended the belt and essentially vacated it after walking away from the UFC following a four-fight losing streak last year.

Dana White

Justin Gaethje claimed the title in July 2023 with a second-round head kick KO against Dustin Poirier, but his time with the title was cut short by Max Holloway, who made a highlight out of ‘The Highlight’ via a buzzer-beating knockout at UFC 300 in April.

Holloway is currently scheduled to challenge Ilia Topuria for the featherweight world title on October 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

Max Holloway KO Justin Gaethje UFC 300

Nate Diaz tells dana white to get those ‘2 nerds’ out of proposed BMF title Tournament

Getting wind of Poirier’s idea, Nate Diaz approved of the idea, but not all the participants.

“@DanaWhite Dan [Hooker] and Max [Holloway] are eligible for my belt.” Nate Diaz wrote on his Instagram story, responding to Poirier’s recent comments. “But get those other [two] nerds out of there they don’t fit the description.”

Dana White

Diaz calling the BMF title “my belt” is an interesting choice of words considering he never once held it. And suggesting that Poirier and Gaethje — two of the most beloved strikers in the game — “don’t fit the description” of a BMF is also pretty wild.

If you could pick any four fighters to compete in a one-night BMF title tournament, who would be in your bracket?

Conor McGregor Eyes UFC Fights vs. Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier: ‘It’s a Must, For Sure’

Conor McGregor is hoping to run it back against two of his biggest rivals when he returns to the UFC. Per Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting, McGregor said during an…

Conor McGregor is hoping to run it back against two of his biggest rivals when he returns to the UFC. Per Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting, McGregor said during an…

UFC’s Dustin Poirier Suggests 4-Man ‘BMF’ Tournament with Gaethje, Holloway, Hooker

UFC veteran Dustin Poirier has an interesting suggestion for his retirement fight that would pit him against some of the most exciting fighters in the…

UFC veteran Dustin Poirier has an interesting suggestion for his retirement fight that would pit him against some of the most exciting fighters in the…