Dustin Poirier looks back on his MMA career fondly after laying down the gloves inside the Octagon at UFC 318.
Poirier had his wish for a farewell fight in his home state of Louisiana granted, as the fan favorite called time on his career with one final Octagon outing at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center.
In his retirement bout, Poirier was beaten by Max Holloway at UFC 318, as the pair concluded their trilogy 13 years after ‘The Diamond’ submitted ‘Blessed’ when they first shared the cage.
The former interim lightweight champ spent much of the days leading up to the July 19 pay-per-view looking back on his 18-year MMA tenure. And despite one notable failure, Poirier has zero regrets.
Retired Dustin Poirier has ‘no regrets’ after always ‘giving his all’ in UFC fights
During a fight week interview with Chisanga Malata, Poirier looked ahead to his ultimately unsuccessful attempt to conclude his career on a winning note and reflected on all that he has accomplished.
While the absence of an undisputed UFC championship remains the one blemish on a stellar résumé, ‘The Diamond’ insisted that outcome does not mean he exits the sport wishing he had done anything differently.
“No,” Poirier said when asked if he has any regrets.
“Of course, hindsight, if I look back at certain fights, certain sequences that happened in fights, I wish I would have done this or defended this differently.
“But as far as my career in total, every single fight I gave my all,” Poirier continued. “Every single fight week, I’ve shown up to leave it all out there. I took what I had in that moment to be the best that I could be and put the right foot forward.
“So I have no regrets on my preparation or my approach to fighting. I did everything I could to be the best every time the bell rang.”
Islam Makhachev leads widespread congratulations for Dustin Poirier
Nate Diaz’s reaction to Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight is just about the only social media post not focusing on giving ‘The Diamond’ his flowers after UFC 318.
A host of fellow fighters, fans, and analysts have sent congratulatory messages to the Louisianan, including his penultimate opponent.
Islam Makhachev submitted Poirier at UFC 302 last year and has shown respect for the fan-favorite lightweight veteran ever since. With that in mind, it was unsurprising to see the Dagestani share positive words for his ex-rival.
“Congratulations, Dustin,” Makhachev wrote on X. “You’re truly one of the greatest to ever step into the cage. It was an honor and a privilege to share it with you.”