Dustin Poirier Closes His UFC Career with an Epic Battle
In a night full of emotions at the King Smoothie Arena, Dustin Poirier said goodbye to the octagon in his last fight of a successful UFC career. Although he did not achieve victory, the fight against Max Holloway was a worthy closure for a fighter who has left an indelible mark on the sport. The fight, which defined the BMF title, was a rollercoaster of emotions, with both fighters showcasing the best of their arsenal. Holloway took the victory by unanimous decision of the judges, with scorecards of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47. It’s overwhelming, honestly. I feel appreciated. I feel seen. I never got out of the fight and looked at it this way. I could never look at it in the third person. This week has been incredible. I feel loved by the fans, Louisiana, and the company. I’m a kid living the dream here, man, throwing punches. After the victory, Holloway expressed his respect for Poirier and briefly mentioned Ilia Topuria, the 155-pound champion, before yielding the spotlight to Poirier. Poirier, at 36 years old, retires tied for fifth place in UFC history in terms of victories, with a total of 22. In addition, he is in fourth place in terms of knockouts, with 11. Poirier’s legacy includes three opportunities for the undisputed title in 2019, 2021, and 2024, although he did not manage to be crowned in any of them, facing Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira, and Islam Makhachev. However, in 2019, he conquered the interim lightweight title by defeating Holloway by unanimous decision in a fight that is already considered a classic.Saturday’s fight, the trilogy against Holloway, offered everything fans expected from a Poirier fight. Holloway knocked him down with a right hand in the first few minutes, but Poirier recovered. In the second round, Holloway knocked him down again, but Poirier responded, knocking Holloway down and going for a guillotine.
Poirier entered the octagon accompanied by New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne, in a touching gesture, as Poirier had used Lil Wayne’s song “A Milli” in his UFC debut in 2011. The UFC reorganized its schedule so that Poirier’s last fight would be in his home state. According to UFC statistics, Holloway landed 186 total strikes against 114 for Poirier. Poirier cut Holloway under the left eye in the fourth round, but Holloway’s volume of strikes began to affect Poirier. His movements slowed down a bit at the end, although he had enough energy to accept Holloway’s invitation to stand in the center of the octagon and fight to the end. This victory is a great achievement for Holloway, who was coming off the first knockout loss of his career against Topuria in his fight for the 145-pound title last October.
