“I Still Couldn’t Breathe” – Dustin Poirier’s Health Issues Stunned Joe Rogan in a Confession Years Before Islam Makhachev UFC 302 Preparation

“His nose needs straightenin and I’m Rhinoplasty” – Conor McGregor added this tail end to a prediction for his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier back in 2021. The Irishman was taking a jab at Poirier’s crooked nose – a battle scar he had been wearing for years. Why are we talking about Poirier’s nose now? Because he is weeks away from his (possibly final) shot at the lightweight title, and an old conversation about his nose is making rounds on social media. Let’s see what the fuss is about.

A video clip from Joe Rogan‘s multi-million-dollar podcast recently resurfaced online, where Dustin Poirier left the longtime UFC commentator baffled after admitting to have been suffering from serious breathing issues. On a 2021 episode of the ‘JRE MMA Show’, Dustin Poirier mentioned that his nose was still pretty busted up from one particular fight he had.

To get that fixed, ‘The Diamond’ had to undergo two surgeries. It must have helped a lot because Poirier’s still fighting at the highest level despite being in his late 30s. He said, “I had two surgeries on my nose. I have a cadaver rib cartilage in my nose.” The particular fight that Poirier’s talking about was from UFC 195. Joe Duffy, Dustin Poirier’s opponent, absolutely destroyed the former interim champ’s nose, leading to some breathing complications.

Yes, this is the same ‘Irish’ Joe Duffy who rag-dolled and submitted McGregor in 38 seconds back during the UFC star’s Cage Warriors days. It seems like the lightweight did some lasting damage to Poirier too. “When I fought Joe Duffy, he crushed my nose… and the first surgery, I still couldn’t breathe, so we had to do it again. We had to re-break it and stuff,” Dustin Poirier added.

Chris Weidman, Anderson Silva, and even Conor McGregor, have all been victims of some pretty serious injuries inside the Octagon, that could have spelled the end of their illustrious and one-of-a-kind careers. Now, at his possible “last shot” at the 155-pound gold at UFC 302 against Islam Makhachev, will the nose be a problem for ‘The Diamond’?

Will Poirier’s nose be his Achilles Heel at UFC 302?

Having experienced what it’s like to get your nose destroyed, ‘The Diamond’ plans to fix all of his issues when he eventually decides to call it quits and hang up his gloves. “I am not going to mess with it [his nose] again until I’m done fighting. It’s gonna get smashed, you know,” ‘The Diamond’ added.

The two surgeries, although they helped re-position Dustin Poirier’s nose,  were not enough to completely heal it. Even now, the former interim champion finds it difficult to breathe through one of his nostrils. He further stated, “Even to this day, my right nostril’s blocked. Even after two surgeries.”

But the most unusual thing isn’t that Dustin Poirier can’t breathe, it is that he has to pull his skin near the nose to do that. Apparently, ‘The Diamond’ is oblivious as to the reason why, because two big-time surgeries are actually a lot. “I have to pull the skin on my face to let the air pass. I don’t know what’s going on with that,” Poirier added.

Poirier’s cardio is one of his greatest weapons. He continues to put on world-class performances despite his broken nose. So it should not be cause for concern ahead of his UFC 302 bout. However, does it give Islam Makhachev a striking target? We shall find out on June 1.