Dustin Poirier‘s next fight is crucial for the future of his career. After recollecting himself with a win over Benoit Saint-Denis following the UFC 291 loss to Justin Gaethje via a devastating head kick, ‘The Diamond’ is gearing up for yet another fight for the 155-pound gold against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey on June 1.

Interim champion? Yes, Dustin Poirier did hold that belt once. However, he’s never had his hand on the undisputed gold even though he fought twice for it. Although June 1 seems to be the ultimate fight of his career at 35 years old, let us take a break from all the risks of the fight and look at the many tattoos that the former interim lightweight champion sports.

All of Dustin Poirier’s Tattoos – meaning and significance

Dustin Poirier, a native of New Orleans, is a true inkhead and has around a whopping 27 tattoos on his body. The 35-year-old’s most prominent tattoo is the name of his daughter, “Parker Noelle” right on top of his right pec.

On his left pec, ‘The Diamond’ has a tattoo of tiger stripes with the word ‘Bushido’ written in Japanese letters on it. He has a huge cross inked on his right thigh, a symbol of his Christian faith. On his right shoulder, the New Orleans native has a red rose tattoo, followed by three black stripes on the outside of his right bicep, while he has a phoenix on the inside of the bicep.

Below this, he has a bunch of stars overlaid with orange flames on his right arm with the words “JESUS” on the outside of his right forearm, and an image of Jesus Christ inked on the inside. His right wrist bears the name of his grandmother “Glenda” done in black ink, while he has his mother’s name, “Deann” on his right arm. The former interim champion also has a traditional Japanese mask inked on his right upper arm along with a diamond on both his wrists. On the back of his right palm, Dustin Poirier has a crown inked on it, an indication of his aspirations to become champion.

The left side of his body is as inked as his right, with a tiger surrounded by foliage tattooed on his left shoulder with red flowers that go down to his bicep. On the outside of his left bicep, he has a magnolia flower, which is the official flower of his home state of Louisiana, and a tribal design on his inner bicep. Dustin Poirier also has a tattoo with the letter ‘K’ under his right ear as well.

Dustin Poirier’s left forearm bears a portrait of The Virgin Mary and a spiderweb on his elbow. On his left forearm, the 35-year-old has the phrase “Blood Bought Paid in full” inscribed on it and a couple of Cantonese or Mandarin letters adjoining it. His left hand bears a Fleur-de-Lis, a symbol of French royalty that represents Poirier’s French roots. The left side of his left palm bears the Roman numerals “IX.IV.MMIX” (September 9, 2009), the date he got married to his wife.

How did Poirier get his first-ever tattoo?

Dustin Poirier has said that his Navy veteran grandfather, who had a lot of tattoos, inspired him to get tattoos himself. The #3 ranked UFC lightweight hails from New Orleans, and has spoken about the vibrant tattoo culture there, revealing that he got his first tattoo – a ‘D’ with flames and dice below it on his shoulder.

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This continued, and he had multiple tattoos as a minor until his mother intervened and told Dustin Poirier that he should get his tattoos done professionally at tattoo studios instead of amateur artists as she was worried about him catching a blood disease.

“I got it done at a guy named Shorty’s house, I don’t even know his real name. Homemade tattoo gun… There came a point where I just kept getting these street tattoos done, over the course of a few years and my mom was like, just stop doing it. I’ll sign consent for you, let’s go to a real tattoo shop. If you’re gonna keep doing this to your body, let’s just do it legally and do it with a real artist and where you won’t get a blood disease or something,” he told GQ.

From the many tattoos of Dustin Poirier, which tattoo is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.

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