More than two months after his title fight loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] is still going through his case about fighting again.
Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) was very realistic before and after his fifth-round submission loss to Makhachev in June. He knew that this would almost certainly be his last chance at the undisputed lightweight belt and, therefore, he needed to evaluate his priorities in the future, after more than 15 years of career.
“The Diamond” recently took an extended vacation with family and friends, and during that time, he had a chance to think. He determined, alongside his wife Jolie, that a decision needs to be made sooner rather than later, and said that the month of August will play a definitive role in judging his next move.
“My wife and I kind of said when we get back from vacation we’re going to — because obviously you’re drinking and eating whatever you want on vacation — we’re going to clean everything up, do 30 days, August, and make a decision after that,” Poirier said. to MMA Junkie in an interview facilitated by his new sponsors at Brooks Running. “Get in shape, see how I feel. We’ll see, man. I don’t know… I need to make a solid decision so I can get out of limbo, because I’m still kind of fighting with myself every day.
If Poirier, 35, isn’t going for the title, he needs to fight for what he’s competing for. He said he understands the risk of entering the Octagon for the wrong reasons and needs to be sure of himself if he wants to commit to doing so again.
“Inside me it’s like I’m fighting this,” Poirier said. “I feel like I can’t walk away. I can’t walk away. I know I can still do this. I know I can beat these guys. It’s like an internal struggle. It’s a battle, for sure. I want to fight. But we’ll see.”
“Nothing is guaranteed here. I don’t know what kind of battle I’ll be in if I lose two in a row. I’ve never lost two in a row. Nothing is guaranteed in this. If I definitely want to go out on a high note and a win, I don’t want to go away with an L.” “
Poirier, No. 5 in latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light ratingssaid his first steps will be to return to his home gym in Lafayette, Louisiana, and see how his body can handle more intensive training after several physical problems arising from the Fight of the Year candidate with Makhachev.
“I’m supposed to have nose surgery in October,” Poirier said. “But if I made a decision or something came up, I could postpone it or something. Who is there for me to fight? I just have to do this for 30 days, get in shape, get back on the mats strong. I couldn’t fight, I managed to hit the bag and other things, but I couldn’t fight much, maybe my knee is better. I’m sure how good my nose is structurally. When someone scolds me or does something – I don’t know what’s going to happen. Ribs are improving. I just need to get back on the mat and see how I feel and what’s available to me and I’ll make a decision.”
Poirier’s heart appears to still have a strong bond with the fight game, and he admits that a very desirable opportunity would be difficult for him. With Makhachev apparently suffering from a hand injury following his fight with Poirier, there could be a potential interim title scenario on the cards. If the promotion needed an alternative option to face No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan, then Poirier said he would take it.
“Yes, for sure (a working title with Tsarukyan) interests me,” Poirier “I wonder what they will do with it. Will Arman continue to wait for Islam? I don’t know when Islam will be back. I saw one thing that he might have to have surgery. We’ll see. The lightweight division has been really crazy the last few years.”
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This article was originally published on MMA Junkie: Dustin Poirier sets 30-day schedule for ‘internal struggle’ over UFC future: ‘I don’t want to leave with L’
