Dustin Poirier got emotional when he was surprised by retirement letters during a pre-fight interview.
‘The Diamond’ will call time on his MMA career after facing BMF champion Max Holloway at UFC 318 on Saturday night.
Dustin Poirier has tried to ensure he firmly remains focused on the fight ahead of his last-ever Octagon appearance.
However, the 36-year-old was forced to address the emotional aspect of his retirement during a recent interview with ESPN.
Dustin Poirier cries at retirement letters
Dustin Poirier was surprised by retirement letters from a few key people during the interview.
Comedian Theo Von, American Top Team coach Mike Brown, his longtime manager, and a former training partner, all put pen to paper to express their feelings about the retiring UFC superstar.
Although there were a few smiles, Poirier spent most of the unique eight-minute video fighting back tears.
Conor McGregor‘s nemesis tried to cover his emotional state by keeping his head bowed. Still, it was obvious that Poirier was crying as he was sniffling and wiping away tears from his eyes.
The Louisiana native was too upset to continue reading a letter from one of his oldest allies.
Poirier asked someone off-camera: “Do I have to continue?”
“I wanna keep these,” he added, before bringing the letter-reading session to a premature end.
Dustin Poirier reveals UFC 318 game plan
Before being caught off guard by an emotional surprise, Poirier revealed how he will beat Holloway at UFC 318.
“In my mind, I get his timing early, beat him to the punch,” he predicted on the UFC 318 Countdown show.
“I hit him with shots that hurt him, make him miss, [and] make him pay by being better that night.
“He’s a great fighter, but [on] July 19th, I’m better.”