It’s been a good week for Dustin Poirier.
It started when “The Diamond” defeated former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis at UFC Fight Night 120 last Saturday. It got better when he successfully sold the fight kit he wore in his victory on Ebay for $6,500. The 28-year-old will be donating all proceeds to the family of Corporal Michael Middlebrook, a nine-year veteran of the Lafayette Police Department. Lafayette, LA is Poirier’s hometown.
Poirier Donates Money To Middlebrook’s Family
Middlebrook was shot and killed on Oct. 1 while responding to a call, per the Daily Advertiser. He left behind a wife, daughter and a pair of step-daughters.
“Obviously Middlebrook’s family, he had three daughters, he left behind a wife, there’s not a better place the money can go,” Poirier told KLFY.
The auction went off as well as it could have, as bidding initially opened up at $3,000. 24 bids later, the fighter has wound up with more than double the initial price. The winning bidder will receive Poirier’s fight-night gloves, hat, shirt, pants, hand-wraps, and spectacularly bloody shorts.
In a back-and-forth Fight of the Night winning affair, Poirier got Pettis to tap due to a fractured rib. That wasn’t before Poirier controlled much of the fight and opened a gnarly gash on Pettis’ head that covered both men in blood.
“The King of Lafayette” moves to 22-5 with the win, and set himself up for a potential title eliminator early next year. In his post-fight interview, he called out the winner of Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje. The two The Ultimate Fighter 26 coaches clash on Dec. 2 at UFC 218.
This is the second fight in a row Poirier has sold his fight kit to a good cause in Lafayette, a tradition he intends to uphold for every future bout. He donated all profit from his UFC 211 gear to the Second Harvest Food Bank back in May. He and Alvarez fought to a no-contest at that event, which ended due to an illegal knee by Alvarez.
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