On Saturday, July 19, the UFC returns to the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, a decade removed from the last time the promotion went to The Big Easy. But this time, it’s special. This time it’s personal. Hometown hero Dustin Poirier is about to retire. Has that truly sunk in? One of the UFC’s most celebrated fighters is set to make his final walk against fellow legend Max Holloway, with one last shot at the symbolic BMF belt. And as good as this UFC 318 main event will be, this has been a week of nostalgia, with fans and fighters looking back on the storied career of one of the game’s greats, and why he always fell just short of the top.
June 6, 2015. UFC Fight Night Boetsch vs. Henderson. 6,231 viewers were in attendance at the Smoothie King Center when 26-year-old Dustin Poirier finished Yancy Medeiros just 2 minutes and 38 seconds into the first round. This was Dustin’s first fight in Louisiana in five years, and the beginning of his interim title-winning run at UFC lightweight. Saturday, when he returns as a 36-year-old soon-to-be father of two kids, with his mind set on retiring regardless of win, lose or draw, he will be doing so on the back of three, sorry, four, title fight losses. What kept ‘The Diamond’ from his brightest shine in the last ten years?
Dustin Poirier’s championship losses: A case of stylistic gaps?
To understand why Dustin Poirier always fell just short of the ultimate prize, we need to look at his journey through championship fights. There’s a common belief that not sealing the deal hurt his legacy. But I’d argue the opposite. It’s his losses and the way he bounced back each time that truly define him. Remember, Poirier has never lost a rematch or two fights in a row. It’s his grit to regroup and climb the same mountain over and over again that made him a legend. That story deserves a closer look before any verdict is made.
Poirier’s fighting style often resembles a tank marching forward, relentless, powerful, and precise with his strikes. In his first-ever undisputed UFC title fight, he tagged then-lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242. However, ‘The Eagle’ soon opened the door for a smart game plan. Despite having a respectable 68.4% takedown defense at that time, Poirier was repeatedly dragged down near the fence. Why? Because Khabib picked up on a key flaw, there wasn’t much lateral movement from the challenger to reset to the center.
Khabib pressured Poirier into the cage, shot at the hips, and used single-leg trips to bring him down. And as we know, ‘The Eagle’ added ‘The Diamond’ to his undefeated resume with a 3rd round rear-naked choke. Poirier shed the tears, took the loss, and once again began the climb, facing challenges head-on and working his way back toward gold. This time, it was mostly against strikers, like in the five-round war with Dan Hooker, where they combined for a staggering 390 total strikes. Interestingly, ‘The Hangman’ landed 4 takedowns on Poirier out of 9 attempts.
Following that war, the Louisiana native had his breakout moment, knocking out Conor McGregor twice (becoming the first fighter to do so in MMA) and rising to true stardom. That earned him another shot at gold, this time against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269. Poirier came in with a 61% takedown defense and had big success early, nearly KO’ing ‘Do Bronx’ in the first round. He stuffed all seven takedowns using sharp wrist control. But in the third, Oliveira shifted gears, jumping on Poirier’s back instead of shooting, and that sudden move ended up costing Dustin the fight. A second title fight loss via a rear-naked choke, and a pattern started to emerge.
This time, Poirier looked sharp in dealing with takedown attempts in the clinch. But one brief lapse in focus and there went his dream again. His path back to lightweight gold was anything but smooth. After a brutal submission win over Michael Chandler, followed by a head-kick loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 (a BMF title fight, mind you), he bounced back in style by defeating the highly-touted Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 with a check hook. That win earned him another shot, this time against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. And that might be his career-best performance in terms of wrestling.
At that point, Poirier’s takedown defense had climbed to 63%, and it showed against Makhachev. He stuffed 11 of 16 takedown attempts from the former lightweight champ. Still, Makhachev found success once again near the cage. In the end, it was a fifth-round D’Arce choke that sealed the deal, forcing Poirier to tap, his third straight submission loss in a title fight. Just like that, the dream of finally capturing the 155 lbs crown was over.
So, Dustin Poirier did have some stylistic problems against grapplers who figured out the blueprint to deal with him against the cage, and that was one of the primary reasons why he couldn’t win a championship. However, the case was very different in his non-title fights.
Poirier — a different fighter in non-title fights?
Well, there’s one version of Poirier in undisputed title fights, and then there’s another side of him that romps through opponents when he’s not facing a wrestler in the main event. Striking has always been the bread and butter of ‘The Diamond’s UFC career, and he’s been one of the best to do it. So, when the pressure of becoming a champion wasn’t weighing on his mind, Poirier unleashed the beast.
And there are countless examples to back that up, especially if we look at his road to the title fights. ‘The Diamond’ went through an absolute killer’s row before earning his shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov. He was riding a four-fight winning streak with victories over Anthony Pettis (UFC Fight Night 120), Justin Gaethje (UFC on FOX 29), Eddie Alvarez (UFC on FOX 30), and Max Holloway (UFC 236 for the interim belt).
If that’s not considered one of the best non-title runs in the 155 lbs division, it’s hard to imagine what would top it. That list is stacked with legends! And let’s not forget, Poirier also put together a three-fight winning streak before facing Oliveira, which included Conor McGregor’s evergreen name twice, and later took out Benoit Saint-Denis in a high-stakes showdown at UFC 299. Those were some of his biggest comeback moments. So, it’s only fair to recognize that Poirier truly belongs in the top echelon when it comes to delivering in non-title fights.
However, as sorrowful as Poirier’s undisputed title fights have been, the story took a different turn when he faced Justin Gaethje in their rematch for the BMF championship. That fight showed a whole different side of ‘The Diamond.’ And that’s not all, we’re also diving deep into whether he has a real shot at capturing the belt this time around against Max Holloway at UFC 318. So keep your seatbelts still on, as this could be one wild ride to the finish line!
‘The Diamond’ has a chance to become the BMF champion against Max Holloway at UFC 318
Dustin Poirier battered Justin Gaethje in their first meeting, earning a standing TKO finish in front of a fired-up crowd in Glendale, Arizona, back in 2018. But ‘The Highlight’ got his revenge, with interest, by launching Poirier into the stratosphere (as Jon Anik colorfully put it) with a vicious head kick and claiming the BMF belt for himself. Yet again, the Louisiana native found himself staring down adversity. But having gone through so much since that night, the question now is, will things be different against Max Holloway at UFC 318?
‘The Diamond’ will be facing an opponent he’s already beaten twice, Max Holloway! Their rivalry dates back to 2012, when they first clashed at UFC 143. At the time, ‘Blessed’ was making his UFC debut, and the gap in experience was clear. Poirier secured a first-round win via triangle armbar. But it was their second fight that truly showcased how far both had come. By then, they were two of the most decorated stars in MMA (Max was the featherweight champion), and the growth was undeniable on both sides.
Seven years later, they met again at UFC 236, and that history became the foundation of their highly anticipated rematch. Both fighters put on an absolute show, but the heavier damage came from Poirier’s side, earning him a hard-fought decision win and the interim lightweight title. Now, they’re set to cross paths once more at UFC 318. But this time, it’s Dustin’s final walk. One last shot at gold. A chance to finally shed the tag of ‘the best lightweight to never win a belt.’
One thing Poirier doesn’t need to worry about in this match is the grappling. Holloway rarely engages with his opponents on the ground (submission-average of 0.3), so that threat shouldn’t be there. So, ‘The Diamond’ can do what he usually does best, march forward like a tank, and get his combinations going. However, he needs to be absolutely mindful about trading with the former 145 king this time.
Holloway looks much different at lightweight now. He’s more chiseled and also carries real power in his hands. So, anything reckless is expected to be answered accordingly. But that said, it’s also worth noting that Max’s chin just got tested by the current lightweight champ Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, in his last fight. So, it’ll be interesting to see whether Dustin can crack him as well. And chances are, he just might!
‘The Diamond’ put in serious work on his wrestling during his camp for Islam Makhachev. So, who knows? We might even see a few solid takedown attempts from him this time around and attempts at finally getting that guillotine submission win! In the end, I think it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Dustin Poirier might be the best lightweight to never win the title, simply because of the sheer number of stars he’s fought and beaten. And now, we’d love to hear from you. Do you agree with this opinion?
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