After another crack at the title in UFC 302 in Newark, NJ, Dustin Poirier might call it quits! Yes, June 1 might be the last time we see the southpaw in the cage. Ahead of his third title shot, ‘The Diamond’ got candid to CBS Sports and spoke his mind as he looks to take on other responsibilities and be a father.
In an exclusive to CBS Sports, the Louisiana native got real about what the future might hold for him. It is “now or never” for Poirier who will take on the LW champion Islam Makhachev in a hotly contented 5-round title fight. Revealing his thoughts, he said,
“I’m not going to climb the ladder again. I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s a very selfish sport. I’m ready to be a father and be a husband and be home and be into a routine. I wouldn’t say I can’t do it again. I can do it again. It’s just … this is it for me.”
🚨 Dustin Poirier is seriously considering retirement after #UFC302, regardless of if he wins or loses:
"I'm not going to climb the ladder again. I've been doing this a long time. It's a very selfish sport. I'm ready to be a father and be a husband and be home and be into a… pic.twitter.com/bCWBfiwNs7
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 23, 2024
While he is still confident and feels like he can get back on the grind, it looks like the fighter doesn’t have the fire in his belly anymore and is seriously contemplating retirement.
With an impressive 30-8-0(1NC) record, Poirier has been in the game for almost 15 years and feels like his time has come. In essence, the fight’s result might be the deciding factor as Poirier is still on the fence thinking about his future.
After opening up about his future in the organization, the 35-year-old fighter also cleared the air and addressed the elephant in the room – the rubber match against Conor McGregor – snubbing it saying that the time for that is now over.
‘That ship has sailed” – Dustin Poirier about a possible fourth fight against Conor McGregor
‘The Diamond’ is up on the scorecards with two wins against the former double champ. After losing his first fight to him years ago during the Irishman’s meteoric rise, the ‘Diamond’ got his redemption during their second meeting with fists to face for a TKO win.
Their final trilogy match ended up disastrous for ‘The Notorious” after he broke his leg thus giving Poirier another win.
Now, ahead of his title fight against Makhachev, Poirier was asked about the possibility of a rubber match against McGregor which he snubbed then and there. Speaking to ESPN, he said,
“I think that ship has sailed. All I want is the UFC lightweight championship.”
Poirier as of now has only one goal in his mind and that is to snatch that LW gold from Makhachev. It’ll most probably be his final match in the UFC as the fighter stated himself and he would want to end it all with the undisputed UFC title over his shoulders for the first time.
