Why UFC star Poirier’s BMF tournament may be in the works

Dustin Poirier. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Why UFC star Dustin Poirier’s BMF tournament may be in the works

By Aaron Case | Last updated Dec 15, 2024 1:04 PM ET

A legend of the MMA game, Dustin Poirier has indicated he’s cooking up a special (and bloody) farewell for his fans. At the news conference for the final UFC event of 2024 on Saturday, promotion boss Dana White confirmed that he’s working with The Diamond on a fitting finale.

“We’re in the middle of talks for him with something he wants to do for the end of his career,” White said in a video posted by MMA Junkie.

That “something” could be a one-off fight with a familiar lightweight foe like Max Holloway, Michael Chandler or Justin Gaethje. Poirier could even convince White to bring Nate Diaz back to the UFC. The two have never faced each other in the octagon, and Poirier called him out in a recent X post.

A fight against any one of those guys would create an incredible finish to Poirier’s career, but what if he could do one better and fight more than one of them? The clues are there.

White said they’re working on something Poirier wants to do, and Poirier has said he wants to organize a one-night tournament for the BMF belt. What’s more, Poirier’s X post on his grand plans included four eggplant emojis, possibly indicating a four-man tournament.

There will be blood. see you soon
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 13, 2024

The Diamond suggested he enter the hypothetical tournament with Holloway (the current holder of the honorary title), Gaethje and Dan Hooker. Poirier’s roster is perfectly aligned, as the fighters are currently ranked third through sixth in the lightweight division (Gaethje, Poirier, Holloway and Hooker, respectively)

What would be even more interesting (although less likely) is if Ilia Topuria entered the mix. The featherweight champ wants to move up to lightweight, and he’s got a legitimate claim to the BMF title, having already dispensed with Holloway at UFC 308 in a featherweight title fight.

As Gaethje, Poirier and Holloway have all fought for the BMF belt before, swapping out Hooker with Topuria makes perfect sense. Plus, Poirier recently dittoed the idea of facing Topuria on X.

So maybe that one last hurrah for Poirier is actually two parting shots in an old-school tournament. Or they could draw the tournament out for a few months and give the fighters time to recover between bouts. Either way, Poirier would retire with a bloody bang.

Aaron Case

Aaron Case is a die hard Yankees fan from upstate New York who fuels his writing with too much coffee. When he's not riding the emotional roller coaster that is the MLB season, he's probably daydreaming and doodling or making beats. Follow him on X @AarontheCase1

More must-reads: