Dustin Poirier gave it his all but fell short against an all-time UFC legend in his very first undisputed title shot.
Poirier is fast approaching his final assignment as an active fighter at UFC 318, having committed to one final fight 13 months on from his submission loss to Islam Makhachev.
That result at UFC 302 in Newark marked the Louisianan’s third and ultimately final shot at winning an undisputed title. The failure to do so is regarded as the only thing missing from the fan-favorite lightweight’s career.
Before Makhachev broke hearts against Poirier last year, both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira forced taps from ‘The Diamond’. But when it comes to the ‘The Eagle’, Poirier is far from the only man to fall to his unstoppable arsenal.
Dustin Poirier said he couldn’t get Khabib Nurmagomedov off of him
Poirier fought Nurmagomedov at UFC 242, traveling to Abu Dhabi as the interim lightweight champ following his five-round win over Max Holloway, who will now serve as his retirement opponent at UFC 318 on July 19.
While ‘The Diamond’ had moments of success, including Poirier’s tight guillotine choke on Nurmagomedov, he was largely dominated en route to a third-round submission loss.
The Lafayette native marked the penultimate result on the Dagestani’s perfect 29-0 record, and given what Poirier said to his corner between rounds, it is easy to see why Nurmagomedov was never beaten.
“I can’t get him the f–k off me, man,” Poirier said.
Fans reacted to that mid-fight remark, suggesting it showed just how good Nurmagomedov was compared with his UFC peers.
“When an elite fighter like Dustin says something like that, you know Khabib is a different breed.”
“(Justin) Gaethje and Poirier have been really praising Khabib. They are the only opponents of his that have been really vocal about his level.”
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Islam Makhachev is backing Dustin Poirier to retire on top
While Nurmagomedov has yet to provide a prediction for Poirier’s last Octagon outing, his friend and protégé, Makhachev, recently did.
The former lightweight champ showed his respect for ‘The Diamond’ after their battle in 2024 and backed him to finish out his career with a victory in New Orleans.
“I think Dustin will win,” Makhachev told MMA Junkie. “He told me this is his last fight, and I think he’s going to be ready.
“Dustin is a very good guy. From my opponents, I respect two guys: (Alexander) Volkanovski and Dustin,” Makhachev continued. “They’re really nice guys. I send them messages.”