Dustin Poirier 'content' after UFC 318, points to sign that retirement was right call
Poirier (30-10 MMA, 22-9 UFC) didn't get his fairytale ending after losing a unanimous decision to Max Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23- 8 UFC) for the BMF title in Saturday's headliner at Smoothie King Center. However, that doesn't mean that Poirier isn't grateful for the experience of having his retirement fight in his home state of Louisiana.
"I feel content," Poirier told MMA Junkie a day after his fight. "Yeah, I feel content and happy with my career. Wish last night would have went a little bit different, but that's fighting, and I really had a good time out there, enjoyed the love, appreciated everybody. Seeing all the positive energy, it's been an incredible journey, an incredible career. What an experience. I got to learn so much in these years of fighting. I'm just thankful."
Poirier initially took issue with the judges' scorecards, thinking he at least won Rounds 2 and 4.
"Going through the fight and immediately my thoughts about what just happened, it was like I thought I did enough. I thought I did enough," Poirier said. "And then I got back and I watched it, like what you're feeling and going through in there, and then what you see as a fool from an outside view is two different things. I can see him winning rounds, throwing more volume, landing body shots, pulling away in rounds. So, what I watched was different than what I felt."
Poirier and Holloway didn't earn Fight of the Night, which shocked Holloway, but "The Diamond" is happy that his last dance was another all-out war. Poirier proved to still be competitive at the highest level, but he noticed something that made him feel that retiring was the correct decision.
"I just wanted one more battle, and he gave it to me," Poirier said. "I think in there, I felt like in between rounds talking to my boxing coach, I could have taken more chances, but I was trying to protect myself at the same time, and I never really fought like that before. I would always put myself in harm's way to land the big shots, and this one I didn't, and maybe that's a sign that the decision I made was the right one. Self-preservation, get home to my family safe, that type of thing."
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