Michael Bisping advise Dustin Poirier retire after UFC 302.
Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) was submitted by Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in last Saturday’s main event at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, falling short in his third attempt at gold indisputable.
“The Diamond” was unsure about his future as a fighter after losing to Makhachev, but if he decides to continue competing, Bisping sees two logical options for him to pursue.
“So Justin Gaethje, Alexander Volkanovski, are they my top two choices, or does he go out into the sun?” Bisping said in his Youtube channel. “Listen, make hay while the sun shines, but he made a lot of hay. He has money in the bank. He represented himself with class.
“He came face to face with Islam Makhachev. He’s been there with some of the best fighters on the planet and had some absolute wars, and like he said, if you consider his smoking and his type of amateur fighting, he’s had about 50 fights.”
Although he still thinks Poirier can compete at a high level, Bisping advises him to call it a career.
“He’s only 35, he’s got a lot of life left to live, so go away and have fun,” Bisping said. “That would be my suggestion. I would love to see him fight Volk, I would love to see him fight Gaethje, but for me, I would say the best thing I ever did was step away from combat sports.
“It’s a very, very difficult thing. It’s all you know, you’ve dedicated your whole life to this, but when you do that, when you reach that kind of height, so many other doors open. So, Dustin Poirier, whatever you decide, all the best. Congratulations on a phenomenal career.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 302.
