Heading into UFC 302 this past weekend, Dustin Poirier was honest about how this could be the last fight of his career.
He echoed the same sentiment in his post-fight interview after being submitted by Islam Makhachev in the main event.
With another shot at capturing the lightweight title being unlikely, Poirier said that he needs to look at why he’s still fighting and focus on being with his family.
“The Diamond” has had an incredible career, competing 40 times in the pro ranks and fighting the very best in his weight class.
Despite being defeated this past weekend, he would still be going out on a high following a great main event and impressive display.
A former champion believes that whilst there are still fights out there for him, getting out now may be his best option.
Michael Bisping Speaks From Personal Experience, Says Dustin Poirier Should Retire
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping spoke about what could be next for Poirier during a video on his YouTube channel.
He named two opponents that would make a lot of sense for him before he does call time on his career but despite that, is leaning towards Poirier hanging up the gloves.
“So Justin Gaethje, Alexander Volkanovski, they’re my two top picks or, does he walk off into the sunshine. Listen, make hey whilst the sun is shining but, he’s made a lot of hay, he’s got money in the bank, he’s represented himself with class. He went toe-to-toe with Islam Makhachev, he’s been in there with some of the best fighters on the planet and put on some absolute wars and as he said, if he considers his smokers and his kind of amateur fights, he’s had about 50 fights.”
Bisping also spoke from personal experience about why Poirier should leave combat sports behind despite it being a tough decision to make.
Having retired in 2018, “The Count” has been able to explore new avenues and he believes the same may be the case for Louisiana’s finest.
“He’s only 35 years old, he’s got a lot of life left to live so go off, enjoy yourself. 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 that I ever did was walk away from combat sports. It’s a very, very hard thing. It’s all that you know, you’ve dedicated your entire life to it but when you do it, when you reach those kinds of heights, it opens so many other doors. So Dustin Poirier, whatever you do decide, all the best, congratulations.”
