Dustin Poirier was a massive underdog in his last fight against Benoit Saint-Denis. Then he knocked him out after being battered in the first round. Despite his impressive win, Poirier was still the underdog against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. But his performance on the night has Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez calling him ‘Rocky Balboa’.
On an episode of the ‘Javier Mendez Podcast’, the AKA coach talked about Poirier’s grit and determination, comparing ‘The Diamond’ to the iconic Rocky Balboa.
“Khabib got him back in the third round so he came back strong in the third round. It was a great fight. Dustin did exactly the Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed first fight. Where Rocky was the underdog and nobody gave him a chance the odds were against him. This was kind of the same thing. And all of a sudden there was a brilliance on Dustin’s part like in Rocky.”
Despite 17 years in the industry and being in the top 5 of the lightweight division, Poirier was considered an underdog in the fight against Makhachev given his recent form. However, unbeknownst to many, he had improved his wrestling massively in the time between fights as proven by his improved takedown defense.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to guarantee Poirier the fairytale ending that Rocky Balboa had in the movie. To the grief of many Poirier then declared that this fight might have been it for him.
But now, a challenge has been issued to him, one that could pique his interest enough to return to the octagon.
Dustin Poirier called out for a fight by Alexander Volkanovski
Following his loss against Makhachev, Poirier stated that his main goal in the sport was to become a champion and he does not see himself getting a fourth shot at the title. Therefore, he does not want to stick around just for the money or the thrill of the fight.
However, Alexander Volkanovski saw a different path for ‘The Diamond’.
Alexander Volkanovski calls out Dustin Poirier
“Maybe depending on what I’m doing, obviously I want to fight later in the year… if the timing works maybe me and Dustin can have a good fight.
I know he just wants good fun fights… I think that would be a massive fight so… pic.twitter.com/l7G5LzKga0
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 2, 2024
Poirier has stated that he wanted to sit with a clear head before making a final call. So yes, there’s still hope.
Volk even stated that he wanted to fight in the second half of the year and urged Poirier not to retire. Will Poirier return to the octagon for the thrill of another fight? Only time can tell.
