Dustin Poirier receives king's treatment from the New Orleans Saints ahead of final fight
It started out relatively recently with an interview, where Poirier announced he would be retiring after UFC 318, held July 19 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. While this was written prior to the result of the main card being completed, the retirement is a set deal, seemingly according to his coach.
Days before the fight, Poirier was asked for his take on this year's Saints team. The big-time Saints fan shared his thoughts with WDSU's Fletcher Mackel:
Then shortly afterwards, the Saints' official account posted a video recorded by Poirier, in which he said he was able to tour the team facility with Cam Jordan. These types of overlaps between the team and Louisiana legends are always a fun time, especially considering this event is likely the last of Poirier's career.
With nearly 16 years under his belt as a fighter, it is somewhat bittersweet to see his fighting career come to an end. But ultimately, the decision is his to make, and whatever is right for him is the right call to make, so it will be exciting to see how the last bout of his career pans out.
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UFC Abu Dhabi Results - Winners UFC Abu Dhabi Results - Losers UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Results UFC Today: UFC Abu Dhabi Pay-Per-View Card Results UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: Main Card Results Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder - Middleweight Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee - Bantamweight Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Marc-André Barriault - Middleweight Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa - Flyweight Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov - Light heavyweight UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: Preliminary Card Results Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov - Bantamweight Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal Miranda - Welterweight Davey Grant vs. Da'Mon Blackshear - Bantamweight Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci - Strawweight İbo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana - Light heavyweight Mohammad Yahya vs. Steven Nguyen - Featherweight Martin Buday vs. Marcus Buchecha - Heavyweight UFC Abu Dhabi Results: Video Highlights UFC Abu Dhabi Results: Fight Night Bonuses UFC Abu Dhabi Results: Official Scorecards UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Main Event Preview: Robert Whittaker Vs. 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Including live UFC Abu Dhabi results, reactions, recaps and video highlights during tonight's event.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa prediction, pick, start time for UFC on ABC 9
Asu Almabayev and Jose Ochoa meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ABC 9 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. Last event: 2-3 UFC main cards, 2025: 70-53-1 Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 preview Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) suffered the first loss of his UFC career in his previous outing in March, where he was finished in the third round by Manel Kape. That result snapped a 17-fight winning streak. Prior to that setback, Almabayev won his first four UFC bouts, including a debut submission of Ode Osbourne. ... Ochoa (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) enters on the heels of a second-round stoppage of Cody Durden in June. That fight marked a successful rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Lone'er Kavanagh, which was the only loss of his pro career. Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 expert pick, prediction Serving as a solid offering at flyweight is an impromptu fight between Asu Almabayev and Jose Ochoa. Almabayev was initially scheduled to meet an orthodox fighter in Ramazan Temirov, but will now face a southpaw in Ochoa. Although Almabayev is technically 2-0 opposite UFC-level southpaws, those stats can be deceptive when you dive into them (especially his controversial split-decision win over Zach Makovsky). It's also worth noting that Almbayev looked lost when facing Manel Kape – who primarily fought the Kazak from southpaw. Ochoa is obviously not the same fighter as Kape, but the Peruvian has an excellent striking arsenal and is still showing fight-to-fight improvements in the rest of his game given his young age. For that reason, I'll take a flier on Ochoa to further expose Almabayev's one-note game by producing a finish in Round 2. Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 odds Despite the oddsmakers opening the Kazakh fighter as a wide favorite, public money has been coming in on the Peruvian, listing Almabayev -117 and Ochoa -103 via FanDuel. Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 start time, how to watch Almabayev and Ochoa are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 12:40 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ABC and streams on ESPN+. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Abu Dhabi: Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa prediction, pick, time
