Dustin Poirier's final war: Even in defeat, UFC legend retires with storybook fight

New York Times

a day ago

Dustin Poirier couldn't have gone out any other way.
For over 15 years, he left jaws on the floor of every arena he fought in. Millions of fans fell in love with the scrappy striker from Lafayette, La., who had blistering combinations, a relentless pace and an unshakable willingness to bite down on his mouthpiece and trade punches.
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Entering Saturday night's UFC 319 main event, Poirier promised this would be it. One final war, one final memory, no matter how his trilogy bout against fellow beloved striker Max Holloway ended.
For the 32nd and final time, Poirier exited a UFC octagon bloodied, grateful and, like so many times before, to a standing ovation, even with Holloway's hand being raised as the victor via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46).
'Man, it's been overwhelming,' Poirier said afterward. 'I feel appreciated, I feel seen. I've never got to step outside of fighting and look at it this way … I feel loved by the fans, Louisiana and the company. It's been incredible.'
Holloway proved to be the perfect dance partner for Poirier's swan song. Fighting in front of Poirier's rabid home crowd in New Orleans, Holloway settled into a strong groove in the first round, knocking Poirier down with a straight right hand as the chanting crowd was quickly hushed.
Then, all hell broke loose in the second. In the first half of the round, Poirier got dropped again, that time by a gnarly uppercut, which Holloway followed with damaging ground strikes. A minute later, however, Poirier turned back the clock and floored Holloway with a vintage four-punch combo that had the Smoothie King Center roaring back out of their seats.
By the third, Poirier was doubling up on his jabs while Holloway was stringing six-strike combos together. By the fourth, both men were bloodied, exchanging flurry after flurry. By the fifth, no one was sitting — every punch looked like it might end the fight.
At final tally, Holloway threw and landed more shots. Poirier connected with more power. As the final horn rang, the only unhappy people in the arena may have been the three judges who had to determine the winner.
In the end, 'The Diamond' still got his storybook ending, even in defeat.
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'I didn't know I touched as many people as I did just by chasing my dreams. I'm forever grateful, I love you all. I'm a kid living my dream,' he said.
After a tribute video narrated by numerous legendary UFC champions, Poirier couldn't hold back his tears as he gave his final thanks to the promotion and the fanbase.
'Thank you for following my journey and playing a part of it,' he told The Athletic he wanted to tell his longtime supporters. 'I've always given my all. I've never cut corners; I was always dedicated. I really gave this sport my all, and I appreciate everybody who followed the journey, man. … So I'm just thankful for the sport, thankful for the fans. Thanks for the company, and it's been a blessing, man.'
There was no championship gold on the line Saturday, but there was symbolic silver. The BMF belt, which Holloway won by knocking out Justin Gaethje in a 2024 thriller, was on the line, and Holloway leaves New Orleans as the first BMF champion to ever defend the belt.
'I love you Louisiana, I know I had to be the villain and I'm sorry, but thank you for the hospitality,' Holloway told the crowd afterward before stepping out of the way, 'This ain't my moment, I'm done talking, this is Dustin's retirement fight, give it up for the man.'
With his gloves left in the octagon, Poirier's career ends with a record of 30-10 (22-9 in the UFC). Entering the night, Poirier had never previously lost twice in a row. Holloway was facing the tarnishing of his legacy by going 0-3 in two separate high-profile trilogies. Something had to give, someone had to lose and the fans were bound to win.
Laying the gloves down 🫡
[ #UFC318 | @DustinPoirier ] pic.twitter.com/mscA3UwgQk
— UFC (@ufc) July 20, 2025
The pair's first battle came in 2012, which marked Holloway's UFC debut. Fighting on the UFC 143 prelims, the featherweight youngsters gave a glimpse of the striking legends they would become before Poirier pulled off a stunning triangle armbar.
When they faced again in 2019, Holloway's career was in the stratosphere. 'Blessed' entered the rematch, which was for the interim lightweight title, as the featherweight champion riding a 13-fight winning streak and having defended his title three times. But that night belonged to Poirier as the Louisianian showcased his power advantage on the feet and unbreakable cardio in the championship rounds to win via unanimous decision.
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It would go down as Poirier's lone night of walking out of a UFC octagon holding gold, a fleeting moment of championship validation in a career showered with arenas of adoration.
But Poirier said he doesn't look back with any regrets or frustrations for what could have been.
'My goal from the beginning was to find out how good of a fighter I could be, and I did that,' he told The Athletic. 'I did everything that I had and gave everything that I had to put myself in that position to fight the best guys in the world and to travel and learn from the best people in the world and dedicate myself to the sport to find out how good I could be and how far I could take this. And I did. I walked those steps and did this journey and found out.'
He would lose that belt to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout later that year and find himself staring down a career crossroads. Continue chasing the belt, and risk becoming a divisional gatekeeper who couldn't win the big one but seemingly beat everyone else? Or chase the paychecks, cash in on his acclaim and pick the flashiest fights at the risk of his resume.
In typical Poirier fashion, he picked both.
He first waged a bloodstained war against Dan Hooker, a legendary slugfest that Poirier told The Athletic was one of his favorite memories as a fighter. Then came two timeless clashes with kingpin Conor McGregor in 2021 — the first a second-round ending in a knockout as Poirier stunned the MMA world, the second in a gruesome leg injury that left McGregor sidelined for good.
#OnThisDay in 2021: @DustinPoirier became the first man to KO Conor McGregor 👊
Watch all three of their fights back on @UFCFightPass today! pic.twitter.com/leJFdQqWIi
— UFC (@ufc) January 24, 2023
Poirier parlayed the fame of those wins into title shots against Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, both of which Poirier lost via submission. But between those setbacks were wins that re-established his legitimacy, first by crushing Michael Chandler and second by dismantling Benoît Saint-Denis.
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But after the Makhachev loss in 2024, Poirier said he was at peace with the fighting chapter of his life coming to an end.
'That was my third title shot at undefeated gold, and I just don't know if I have it in me to put together what it's gonna take to get a fourth crack at a world title,' Poirier said.
The damage on his 36-year-old body had piled up after 40-plus fights, particularly so after the Makhachev battle. A week after the loss, Poirier said he was dealing with a broken nose, broken rib and a partially torn ACL.
With a family waiting at home and his legacy more than secure, Poirier was ready to leave his gloves in the cage for good, with no illusions of looking back. This was it.
'I have a daughter at home, have a bunch of businesses that keep me super busy back in Louisiana and my wife's pregnant. It's just a time in my life where I want to leave this sport healthy,' he said last week.
'And that's just it, be a dad. Be home, be normal. … I don't know what it is to be like a normal civilian, not a fighter. I want to see what that's like.'