Dustin Poirier is enjoying retirement as best he can, battling the daily temptation to return.
Retirement is still settling in for Dustin Poirier. Last July, the 37-year-old lightweight legend called it a career at UFC 318 in his home state of Louisiana — an event crafted around his final Octagon appearance. Although he suffered defeat in his trilogy bout against Max Holloway for the BMF title, Poirier performed valiantly, showing he could still hang with the very best.
Seven months after his swan song, it hasn't been easy for Poirier. Appearing Monday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show," "The Diamond" admitted that although he remains confident he could return to the UFC and still succeed today, he's also continuing to process his new reality in his post-fighting life.
"It’s just weird — it feels weird being a civilian," Poirier said.
"I miss it every day, man. I do. I feel like some days I'm like, 'I can beat these guys.' Then some days I'm like, 'I made the right decision.' It’s a constant tug-of-war in my head. Some days I wake up thinking I'm doing exactly what I was supposed to do — this is where I'm supposed to be. Some days I wake up, and man, I wish I had a fight to look forward to."
Poirier said he's still addicted to the game and consumes as much fight content as he possibly can, which only strengthens the pull he feels for a return. MMA retirements rarely ever last on their first attempts, and Poirier has seen several of his contemporaries before him change their minds once the curtain closes.
Despite that trend, he said he's yet to go back on his word and speak with the UFC about a possible fight. The one-time interim champ believes that can be attributed to his final bout coming in the manner it did.
"The New Orleans thing was so special," Poirier said. "It can never be done again like that. But every day, I’m battling myself about wanting to fight.
"When I laid the [gloves] down, I wanted to be done. ... [Now I'm] just trying to find what fills that void, man."
The UFC lightweight division has moved on in Poirier's absence, with fresh talents like Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett rising up the ranks. While Poirier's former teammate at American Top Team, Tsarukyan, continues to hunt for his first title shot, Pimblett has found himself in pole position, set to challenge Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 this Saturday, Jan. 24.
Poirier is no stranger to what Gaethje brings — the two went to war twice, splitting the series a win apiece. In the matchup between a seasoned contender and a budding superstar still proving himself, Poirier ultimately leans toward his former rival, favoring Gaethje's experience to carry the victory.
“I just think he's been in those 25-minute fights," Poirier said of Gaethje. "He’s been in dogfights before. I think Paddy’s going to have a tough time stopping him on the feet, and I don’t think Paddy’s going to be able to get him down. So [Pimblett's] going to have to fight with [Gaethje], unless Paddy can stay super disciplined for 25 minutes, stay at distance, pick his shots.
"Justin is just a bigger puncher, and he’ll put himself in harm’s way to land one of those shots. It’s tough to stay away from that for 25 minutes."
Sitting at No. 5 in the official UFC lightweight rankings, Pimblett earned his title opportunity on the back of a seven-fight UFC win streak. His level of competition, however, has left questions around how far he can go. In terms of name value, Pimblett's most notable wins came over longtime contenders Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler — both of whom entered their Pimblett bouts on losing streaks.
Poirier isn't knocking Pimblett's legitimacy, he said. The future UFC Hall of Famer just remains hesitant to take much away from Pimblett's current career sample size against the elite of the elite.
"If he beats Justin, I’m a believer then," Poirier said. "... I think Chandler might have showed up for a paycheck [against Pimblett], I don't know.
"I think Justin stops him.”
Category: General Sports
