Has Dustin Poirier Taken Retirement Before UFC 302? ‘The Diamond’ Takes Final Decision on Islam Makhachev Fight

Just a few days of waiting, and then we will witness one of the most anticipated fights in the UFC. Dustin Poirier is about to face the lightweight champ, Islam Makhachev to try his luck once again for the lightweight gold at UFC 302. The former interim lightweight champ has fought for the lightweight belt several times but failed to perform when it mattered the most. However, ‘Diamond’ has made it his final goal to get the gold and that too against Islam Makhachev.

With a career spanning over 15 years, Dustin Poirier seems to be at the conclusion of his career and we are not saying it, but this came from ‘Diamond’ himself. With a tremendous record of 30 fights and 9 losses, ‘Diamond’ has been one of the most dominant fighters in the history of the promotion, and is it his final rodeo? Let’s find out.

Will Dustin Poirier retire after his fight against Islam Makhachev

Dustin Poirier is among the superstars of the promotion whom Dana White loves the most. After his clash against Justin Gaethje on July 29th last year, Poirier failed to get any motivation to fight as his defeat was shocking for him. However, his victory against Benoit-Saint Denis at UFC 299 gave him the much-needed motivation to fight again.

Dana White gave him his chance at the lightweight gold after the clash but Poirier is still very much in a mood to retire. While in conversation with ‘TMZSports’, when the host asked ‘Diamond’ whether this would be his last rodeo, he said, “I feel like I’m capable of anything. If I committed myself to climbing back up the ladder, I could do it again.”

He further added, “It’s just where I’m at in life and how long I’ve been fighting. I don’t think I will climb that ladder again. You know, I want to get it done this time.” Poirier never actually gave a clear answer about whether he will retire or not, but the probability of him stepping back from the world of fighting is very high.

Dustin Poirier stated that he would knock out Islam Makhachev. His call for retirement may be distressing for many fans but for Daniel Cormier, it’s just a bad decision that the 35-year-old is going to take.

Daniel Cormier does not like Poirier’s call for retirement

The former dual weight champion of the world, Daniel Cormier believes that Dustin Poirier is taking the decision hastily. Cormier argues that Poirier should sit back and thoroughly think about what he wants from his career. ‘DC’ believes that a decision to retire at such a stage in his career would be a bad call for ‘Diamond.” Cormier states that a decision to retire after the fight would hinder Poirier from giving his best against Makhachev on June 1st.

While in conversation on his YouTube handle, Cormier said, “I can’t stand hearing that it’s almost over for a guy that we all universally love and enjoy when he’s inside the octagon. I also hate it for another reason: I hate it for the idea that it could be almost over, and he recognizes that. I don’t like when athletes because I did it myself, I’m almost judging myself; I don’t love when athletes put a timeline or a finishing point on a career that’s still actively going on. That is a hard thing to do.”

Daniel Cormier might think that Poirier is lacking in his resolve to fight Makhachev but the outcome might be surprising for many.  Interestingly, the ‘Diamond’ has not lost any of his fights in June. So will he be able to breach the Dagestani wall? Only time will tell.