Dustin Poirier (30-9, 1 NC MMA, 22-8, 1 NC UFC) was unsure about the status of his career at this time in 2024. A year ago, “The Diamond” was just weeks away from what some believed could have been his farewell appearance in MMA.
On June 1, 2024, Dustin Poirier made the walk to the fabled Octagon in Newark, NJ’s Prudential Center, the host site of UFC 302. That night, he drew the assignment of incumbent UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC.) Makhachev took Poirier to the fifth and final round of that evening’s headlining contest.
There, he locked in a D’arce choke to force Poirier to tap out. Makhachev has since defended the strap at 155 lbs a fourth time versus Renato Moicano, submitting him the same way, albeit in the opening round of the contest. In the aftermath of that match, this Website ran a column about how Dustin Poirier did not yet need to make a final decision on this particular phase of his professional life.
Dustin Poirier Officially Confirms Date of Retirement Bout on Pat McAfee Show From Green Bay
Friday morning, Poirier was a guest of The Pat McAfee Show on United States UFC rightsholder ESPN in a broadcast originating from a mobile studio located just outside Green Bay, WI’s Lambeau Field, where this weekend’s 2025 NFL Draft is being held. He’ll be getting a “home game” for his last contest in MMA.
New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center, the home court of the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, will serve as the host arena for the July 19 UFC 318 pay-per-view event. Poirier was born in Lafayette, LA, 135 miles away from New Orleans.
“July 19, me and Max Holloway are going to fight, five rounds, main event, pay-per-view for his current BMF title,” Dustin Poirier began. The announcement drew a round of applause in the studio.
“Max is a legend,” he said of his opponent. “I said legends only. There’s not a better guy I could think to fight in my retirement fight in the UFC.”
Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway: The Trilogy
This will be the third head-to-head meeting between these two men under the UFC promotional banner. It’s a trilogy stretching back to Dustin Poirier’s initial fight in the organization 13 years ago.
That winter’s evening in Las Vegas from the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Poirier exited the cage a winner, submitting Max Holloway with a triangle armbar in the first round of a scheduled three in the featherweight ranks, knocking Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) from the unbeaten ranks.
Chapter two of this story was written on April 13, 2019, a noteworthy night for pay-per-views from the No. 1 MMA promotion on the planet. UFC 236 from State Farm Arena in Atlanta marked the first time that UFC premium live events were exclusively accessible to United States customers through ESPN+.
As far as the rematch itself went that weekend in Georgia, Dustin Poirier went 2-0 in the UFC against Holloway, scoring a unanimous decision after 25 minutes of action on the scorecards (49-46, 49-46, 49-46.)
Dustin Poirier Already Prepping for Trilogy Bout With Holloway
During the interview with host Pat McAfee, Dustin Poirier, while declining cheese curds, mentioned that his workout regimen for his final fight is already underway.
“Training for what I do is a lifestyle,” Dustin Poirier mentioned. “It’s not a season. It’s a way of life. We don’t have seasons, it’s a year-round sport. You can get a call [to accept a fight] at any moment. People get injured all the time. You’ve got to be always ready to take advantage of opportunities.”
Final Thoughts
There could not have been a better booking for Dustin Poirier to go out on. It isn’t too often in an athlete’s career, combat sports or otherwise, that the competitor is able to bookend his or her tenure in the league or organization in the way that Poirier has been afforded to this coming summer
Smoothie King Center will be rocking that summer night. Only one question remains: Can Dustin Poirier score a victory in his retirement fight?
