Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev went neck to neck at UFC 302 and Makhachev came out victorious despite Poirier giving a brilliant fight. Despite his best efforts, he lost the UFC 302 bout, which was probably his final shot at the championship. Following the fight, he gave a pretty strong hint of retirement, which he reiterated in a recent Instagram post, much to the heartbreak of fans.

The Lafayette, Louisiana native, has gone head-to-head with formidable opponents. Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, and Benoit Saint-Denis. ‘The Diamond’ has wins over all of those names, making him a consensus future Hall of Famer, even though he has not won an undisputed UFC title. So is it time for him to hang it up?

In his IG post, Poirier posted a video with pictures from some of his iconic moments and his time with his daughter at UFC 302. ‘The Diamond’ coupled it with a caption stating, “You don’t play fighting… No one rides for free. I’m approaching 18 years of fighting for my life and future, in the face of criticism, trolls, and experts. Everyone has something to say… that’s what makes this so beautiful, the chance to walk out there and make life right. I’m grateful for the experience, the journey, and the lessons. A kid with a dream changed his life, and you can too if you’re brave enough. Blessings on the journey.”

This made the fans flock to the comments with words of praise and love for the 30-9 UFC veteran.

Fans are not ready to say goodbye to Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier

UFC buffs expressed their emotions in the comments for ‘The Diamond.’ The comments were either about his retirement or it was desperate fans clinging to the last ounce of hope that he would stay. One fan wrote, “Don’t retire yet bro you still got gas in the tank,” while another followed, “Is he retired???”

During the post-fight interview, Poirier said, “I mean, I know I could compete with the best of these guys. It’s just like if I do fight again, what am I fighting for, just a fight? It has to. I’ve done that 50 times, you know. I don’t know, I got a little girl I love and I gotta see. I think this could be it, honestly, Joe.” This was a clear indication of what he was thinking and now this video makes it clearer.

On this note, some followers wished him well and said, “Happy retirement Dustin, it was a pleasure watching you fight sir.” Another netizen chimed in, “Dustin has to be the most liked fighter of all time. Such a great fighter and a great guy.” One follower mentioned his nickname ‘The Diamond’ and commented on his unparalleled performance, “No pressure. No Diamonds.”

Do you think this is his farewell or is Poirier going to stick around for a while more for his passionate fans?