Athletes
Dustin Poirier Wants To Right The Ship
Facing A Young And hungry Contender, Dustin Poirier Hopes To Prove He Is Still One Of The Best In The World At UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2
Fighters fight. Dustin Poirier is a fighter, so no matter how much money he has in the bank or how secure his legacy and his family’s future are, as long as he can put the four-ounce gloves on, he’s going to fight.
So don’t speculate on why the former interim lightweight champion decided to accept the challenge of rising star Benoit Saint Denis in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 299 card in Miami. It’s simple as being a fighter.
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“He's a young guy on a win streak,” said Poirier of Saint Denis. “He's finished all his wins. I'm 35, he's 28. I'm the older guy who's been here a long time, still at the top. Do I still have what it takes to beat these young men who are incredible fighters? That's intriguing to me. I want to find out for myself. Toss me in the fire, sink or swim. This is the hurt business.”
Few have been on the right side of the hurt than Louisiana’s Poirier. A member of the UFC roster since 2011, when he debuted as a featherweight, “The Diamond” went on to go to the top of the mountain at 155 pounds, defeating Max Holloway, Bobby Green, Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Conor McGregor (twice) and Michael Chandler along the way.
But in his lone fight of 2023, Poirier ended up on the wrong side of the hurt when he was knocked out by Gaethje in their highly anticipated rematch for the BMF belt. The loss didn’t move Poirier from the top five in the division, but it did put some question marks around his fighting future. At least from the outside. Internally, this was just a bump in the road.
Dustin Poirier Fight Week Interview | UFC 299
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Dustin Poirier Fight Week Interview | UFC 299
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“My mindset after the loss was that I've been here before,” he said. “The ups and downs, the roller coaster of the sport, the highs, the lows. I've been there before. It was more of sitting back, letting the smoke clear with my wife, reassessing the situation, speaking to her about everything and letting my brain heal up and letting my body heal up as much as it could. I'm getting older, I have a lot of fights. So my first priority is my health.”
RELATED: UFC 299 Countdown | Dustin Poirier vs Benoît Saint Denis
Once he was greenlighted to return to the gym and to request a fight, he didn’t have to look far to find an opponent who wanted to scrap with him in Saint Denis, who has moved quickly up the lightweight ladder. And if the 12th-ranked contender beats Poirier, he will skyrocket northward. Poirier recalls what it feels like to be “that guy.”
Dustin Poirier | Top Finishes
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Dustin Poirier | Top Finishes
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“I do remember what it was to be young and hungry,” he said. “And when I come into a gym like American Top Team, when the mats are filled with these young, hungry guys who are clawing their way to make money, to make a name, to get a new contract in the UFC, I'm like, I want to feel that again.”
Remember that “fighters fight” thing? There it is right there, and that’s something that will never leave Poirier.
“I'm not done yet,” he said. “This particular fight is righting the ship, putting things back in momentum. I've never lost two in a row, so I have to fight this fight and get my hand raised, just to show everybody that I'm still here, especially with this guy I'm fighting. He's a young lion who's on a streak. He's young, he's got a country behind him, UFC's pushing him now and I'm the guy who's been here. That motivates me to show that I'm still here and I'm still relevant and I can still do this with the best guys in the world.”
As for Saturday night, Poirier isn’t one for trash talk, but he does have some parting words for his opponent.
“I’ll see you in the middle.”
UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2 took place live from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on March 9, 2024. See the final Prelims & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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