Dustin Poirier’s Career – Key Milestones

Dustin Poirier faces Max Holloway at UFC 318 in his farewell fight as we look at his legacy. 

Poirier enters into the fight with a loss against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. The loss meant he missed out on the UFC Lightweight Title. That was the third time he had missed out on the lightweight belt, following previous losses against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Dustin also missed out on the BMF belt to Justin Gaetheje after the latter knocked him out at UFC 291. However, Dustin does have some achievements.

Legacy

He defeated Max Holloway in 2019 to claim the interim lightweight title. He has already beaten Holloway twice, as he will back himself to do it again. Max is coming off a stoppage loss to Ilia Topuria, while Dustin can secure the BMF belt in his final fight.  Dustin is known for being one of the most exciting fighters in the sport. He has won the ‘Fight of the Night’ on ten occasions for his bouts against Gaethje, Holloway, Dan Hooker, Michael Chandler, Benoît Saint-Denis, and Islam Makhachev. That has also included winning the ‘Performance of the Night’ on four occasions.

Poirier also has the honour for having the most knockouts in the lightweight division at nine, alongside Drew Dober. Dustin’s notable wins have come against Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, Dan Hooker, Michael Chandler and Benoît Saint-Denis. 

Reaction

Outside of the sport, Dustin has been giving back to the community. He set up The Good Fight Foundation with his wife, Jolie. The Foundation sells memorabilia from Dustin’s fights to give back to his community of Lafayette, Louisiana, covering areas such as food, healthcare, and disaster relief. Dustin has managed to forge a career that has won him the hearts of many people including Dana White.

“Actually, he’s ranked No. 5 in the world right now in the lightweight division. [Dustin’s] a guy who’s held his position in the top 10 in the sport for a very long time. [And] he’s achieved a lot. He’s one of the all-time greats. Thousands of people have fought in the UFC, I don’t know where I could rank him but he’s one of the all-time greats. Throughout the world, Dustin Poirier is a big star for us. He’s accomplished a lot in the sport. This is for him, to be honest with you. This is for him. He wanted to have his last fight and end his career in New Orleans so here we are,” Dana White said