Dustin Poirier's coach makes surprise admission ahead of star's retirement fight

Daily Mirror

5 days ago

The 'Diamond' has vowed that his UFC 318 clash with Max Holloway will be his last, but the American's coach has made a shock admission ahead of this summer's pay-per-view card
Dustin Poirier 's long-time coach, Mike Brown, has hinted that his star fighter's upcoming fight might not signal the end of his days in the world of combat sports.
'The Diamond' is set to step back into the cage at UFC 318 this July, going head-to-head with ex-featherweight champion and BMF belt owner Max Holloway in New Orleans. Fans are eagerly anticipating the mouthwatering clash clash, which is already being tipped as Poirier's retirement fight.
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Poirier, 36, has assured the UFC faithful that his next fight will be his last appearance inside the cage. The American has not fought since he suffered an agonising defeat to Islam Makhachev last June. But amid talks of retirement, Brown is not 100 per cent sure UFC 318 will be the final fight of Poirier's legendary career.
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In an interview with MMA Fighting, when speaking of Poirier, Brown said: 'I mean, I think so. You can never say never, but he's done really well for himself. He's made a boatload of money. He's set. He doesn't need to fight. So it would have to be something pretty enticing. I mean, that could always happen, but I think he's content with his accomplishments and content with the money he has made and what he's done.'
Over the years, Poirier has produced many iconic moments inside the octagon. Brown himself has plenty of favourite Poirier moments from the American's career, from his comeback win against Dan Hooker to his knockout finish over long-time rival Conor McGregor.
That said, scoring a guillotine-choke submission over Holloway would undoubtedly be the icing on the cake for Poirier - who boasts eight career wins by submission yet never with his favoured move. "Everyone would be pretty happy with that, I think," Brown said. "That would be pretty cool, you never know. I mean, people didn't think he was going to rear-naked (Michael) Chandler, right? Who ain't got jiu-jitsu, right? No, he's got jiu-jitsu. People sleep on it."
While Poirier eagerly anticipates a third showdown with Holloway, he never expected him to be the last opponent before hanging up his gloves. The upcoming clash with 'Blessed' will mark one of the most enduring trilogies in UFC history, given their first clash was back in 2012, followed by a second bout for the interim lightweight title seven years subsequently.
In an exclusive chat with MMA Junkie, 'The Diamond' revealed his initial preference: "Well, I wanted [Justin] Gaethje. I was asking the UFC for Gaethje because we're one and one." Notably, Poirier had previously stopped Gaethje in their 2018 encounter, but suffered a knockout defeat at the hands of the American during UFC 291 in July 2023.
"I wanted to close out that trilogy," Poirier said. "For some reason, they really wanted this fight with Max. So I said, 'Okay, that's cool because I respect the guy.'" He also shut down any rumours about fighting former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, confirming that wasn't even a consideration as the Spaniard-Georgian dropped his 145lb title to step up a weight class.
"Not once. Not once," Poirier said. "Actually, when he said he was going to 155 [lbs], I texted UFC and said, 'Hey, what's up? Let me know what's going on with this guy now he's at 55.' But they never entertained it. They told me it's not happening, and they wanted Max...like I said, this was blindsided. I thought Max was like the last person I thought they were going to try to match me up with."