Dustin Poirier’s sole fight in 2020 ended via judges’ decision, but it should have been a third-round victory for “The Diamond”.
The former Interim UFC Lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is set to retire after his next fight.
Poirier will take on Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 318, in the third and final fight of their trilogy.
“The Diamond” will be at his best for his swan song, but Poirier will have to make sure the referees don’t make any mistakes, like they did in his classic bout in 2020.
Dan Hooker admits he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier but nobody noticed
Poirier had one of the best UFC fights ever against Dan Hooker in 2020, with an incredible back-and-forth encounter that could have seen either man pick up the win.
However, Poirier should have won the fight in the third round when he locked in a guillotine choke on his Kiwi opponent.
Speaking on Fox Sports in 2024, Hooker hilariously revealed that he was actually passed out in Poirier’s guillotine choke, but nobody noticed.
He regained consciousness before escaping the hold, finishing all five rounds of the fight before Poirier was granted the unanimous decision victory.
Hooker said: “He had me in the guillotine—I might have been the first guy he ever submitted with it—but he didn’t even realize I was out.
“I actually woke up in the third round. It was like, shoot takedown, he jumped the guillotine, and then he must’ve just run out of steam squeezing, because I woke up and was like, ‘Oh, the fight’s still going.’
“I was like, this is cool. So he did finish a guillotine. Just no one realized it.”
Poirier deservedly won the fight, but it should have ended two rounds sooner.
Dustin Poirier is retiring from fighting with a trilogy fight against Max Holloway
July 19 will be Poirier’s final time in the octagon as he prepares to retire from fighting at UFC 318.
The former interim Lightweight champion is expecting his second child, a son, who is expected to be born after the event.
His retirement fight will be against Holloway, a man whom “The Diamond” has beaten twice before in the octagon.
He won the first encounter by a first-round submission at UFC 143, before following it up with a closer unanimous decision victory at UFC 236, seven years later.
Now in 2025, they will have one final outing where Holloway will hope to get his win back over Poirier, while avoiding the famous guillotine choke that ended Hooker.