Dustin Poirier Refusing To Retire From The UFC On A Loss

Veteran UFC fighter Dustin Poirier says he won’t retire on a losing record, with his latest loss coming to Islam Makhachev in June earlier this year. 

Dustin Poirier Refuses To Retire

Despite losing three of his last five fights in the UFC, Dustin Poirier is keen to not go out on a loss and so the 25-year-old is refusing to retire at least until he picks up his next win.

Speaking on a podcast earlier this week, Poirier said he was close to retiring after the Makhachev fight but as his injuries passed, he changed his mind and got motivated again.

“The shift needs to be internally, for what the motivation for fighting is. Because if it’s not about the world title, why am I fighting?

“And after the Islam fight, when I got back home, I thought: ‘Maybe this is it?’ A few weeks went by, injuries started hurting less and less post-fight, and I was like: ‘I’ve got to do this again.’”

👑♦️ pic.twitter.com/2lElEfBilt

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) June 8, 2024

Poirier’s loss to Makhachev was his third defeat in an undisputed title bout, having also lost to champions Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“I’ve never lost two in a row, I can’t leave this sport on a loss. But at the same time, I want to be 100 per cent in it if I’m going to do it again, because I don’t want to disrespect the sport. I honour this stuff, I do. I just want to do it right and get my hand raised and leave on my terms with a win.

“But that’s no guarantee. I could go back out there and somebody could whip my ass. That’s the thing.”

Although it is highly unlikely he will ever fight in another title matchup again, Poirier still has some huge names in mind for his next and possibly final ever fight.

When asked who he would fight in his next potential bout, Poirier agreed to a list of names including Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, Alexander Volkanovski, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Colby Covington.

Dustin Poirier says these could be potential opponents in his next fight:

💥 Nate Diaz
💥 Conor McGregor
💥 Alexander Volkanovski
💥 Justin Gaethje
💥 Max Holloway
💥 Charles Oliveira
💥 Colby Covington

Any of these fights would be can’t miss 🙏 pic.twitter.com/FL8ISfLaON

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 16, 2024