NEWARK, New Jersey – Dustin Poirier He may or may not continue fighting, but one thing is certain: his doors will always be open in the UFC.
The former interim UFC lightweight champion teased his retirement following his title fight loss against 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev. Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) was submitted by Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in Saturday’s main event. UFC 302.
In his post-fight interview, Poirier said he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep fighting and said Saturday’s performance could have been the last time fans got to see him fight.
UFC CEO Dana White thinks it’s a personal decision, but he’s betting that Poirier will continue to fight – if that’s what he decides to do.
“It’s up to him, it’s not up to me,” White said at the UFC 302 post-fight press conference. “He knows what he wants and what he doesn’t want. He knows how he felt, he knows how he feels now, and it’s all up to him. Listen, he’s a star. He can stay here as long as he wants.”
In terms of the performance itself, White was impressed with what he saw from Makhachev and Poirier. Like many, White enjoyed the championship fight and thought Poirier had one of his best career performances.
“Amazing fight,” White said. “Both guys dug deep. It was an absolute war. Islam is tough and talented as hell, and he ate some big body shots tonight and took that elbow to the forehead. I thought Poirier did an incredible job of filling the takedowns and getting up when he was in unpleasant positions and getting out of that submission in the first round. You couldn’t ask for more from a main event title fight.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 302.
