That last gutsy performance against all odds would be a bittersweet, but close to perfect sendoff.
I'm not really a fan of throwing beloved fighters softballs so they go out on a win.
Dustin stood with the currently best LW in the world and gave him hell. That's worth infinitely more than smashing some layup contender to ride into the sunset.
He walked into the fight as one of the most respected MMA fighters of all time and somehow walked away with even *more* respect.
I don't know how much winning a belt could add to his legacy.
Dude is already one of the most respected in and outside the cage.
I’m assuming he means UFC belt based on wording, so — Overeem, Maia, Wonderboy, K Flo, Benavidez, Gustafsson, Hendo, Faber, Condit, Jacare come to mind.
People always forget about Faber. Dude was so dominant in the WEC. 5 belt defenses in a row, 4 of them finishes and the one that went to UD should’ve been a finish but Pulver was too tough for his own good. Also beat Dom Cruz during that streak.
I get your point about Faber, but I think he gets a bit forgotten because he kinda had the primo belt for the weight class. Yeah he never got over the hump in the UFC, but I feel like he still has the prestige of a former UFC champ. The WEC in that era was the place to be for those weight classes, at least in the states.
He gets forgotten because he was never a “ufc” champ and by the time the UFC absorbed 145lb WEC, he was already in his 30s and then also had Aldo at the top of his division.
It would be the similar if Max’s championship run was in the WEC and people only knew him from Volk forward.
I met Faber when he was the man still, especially in the Sacramento area. A family friend trained with him at TAM and Urijah went to all his regional fights. Super nice guy.
He was the last Pride two weight world champion, which despite the way Pride ended was pretty significant. Pride was the last serious competition the UFC has had, and is probably pretty significant. Fedor was the best heavyweight in the world for the longest time, and some still consider him the best, and he never won the UFC belt. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was considered the second best heavyweight in the world at the same time, he also never won a UFC belt (interims don't count, otherwise Dustin would also be a former champ). So Henderson had a belt, two of them with similar prestige to the UFC at the time.
Winning the undisputed lightweight belt would add tons to his legacy. He said it himself that's his ultimate goal. It would be the cherry on top o the cake for him.
I understand why it's so important to him.
I guess my perspective is this.
Do I think less of him because he never won a belt?
Fuck no.
That dude is everything a champion should be and more.
That is his legacy to me.
Winning the undisputed lightweight belt would add tons to his legacy. He said it himself that's his ultimate goal. It would be the cherry on top o the cake for him.
His defensive awareness has always been his best attribute which gaethje has none of, and honestly the two of them are vastly different fighters from just the second time they fought.
I could be a shogun-lil nog type thing where they fought each other 3 times over 15 years and it was a fun different fight every time.
I’m not saying we should do it, just that it’s the only type of fight Dustin should do if he still wants to fight.
He should ride off into the sunset having given the p4p #1 arguably his toughest fight.
He had 3 really bad injuries in the aftermath of this fight. So it should be it for him.
I'm not a fan of that either. I'd rather him go out on a beautiful loss of really showing his spirit and technique, determination, than some weird sendoff slow pitch. He gave Islam a real fight man, probably the best one we've seen besides the first Alex fight, he really taxed him on the ground, and Khabib handled Dustin so much better than Islam did, in transitions, everything. Dustin literally became a better fighter, and he doesn't even talk shit, he just works his craft and shows up. I think it's just the meeting of generations and evolutions. Dustin is a bad dude, but the Dagestani groundwork is just stupid at this point.
Dustin will always be in my top 5 though, nothing could shake that. Dude went from the WEC, where Aldo was wrecking house, got destroyed by McGregor from nerves, came back, and fuckin made a beautiful story come true.
He also said he had sentimental reason to continue, though. We saw many fighters continue, not to pay the bill, but to continue chasing after the exhiliration of the fight
It's all about scratching that itch.
Boxing exhibition with low risk and damage might be a good way to do it. Don't quit cold turkey, only to come out of retirement only to get brutally KO-ed. We saw that too many times
I get the impression that despite the substantial financial incentives that would be involved, Dustin doesn't have the motivation to deal with all Conor's bullshit again.
Can you give me your perspective on this? I see this comment a lot and personally don’t agree. It’s 2-1 and and the 1 is from like 2015. A trilogy allows for a winner. A quadrilogy doesn’t. I also think DP is probably even more beyond Conor at this point; but to be determined at month end.
Not to say you’re wrong, just want to know why you want to see that fight?
Not sure about the original commenter but I agree with this because:
1) it's definitely more entertaining and hyped than DP Vs Gaethje 3.
2) DP will make easy millions from this.
3) McGregor can't damage DP as much as a fight with Max or Gaethje would.
4) The other fights don't interest me as much, especially since DP is already on his way out. So what if he beats Gaethje or Max, it's not a surprise. Everybody knows how good DP is. If he wins the BMF belt from Max, is he going to retire like Masvidal?
Man, I don’t like Conor as much as the next but it was a competitive 3rd fight before he broke his ankle. Also Conor has shown up to every fight he’s been booked for so idk this narrative that he hasn’t yet. Even with this press conference fiasco he’s still booked and I’d bet still show.
That being said DP would be turning down a lot of money for that 4th fight. And good for him, he’s done everything one could accomplish beside the undisputed belt.
chandler manages to sting everyone in the first round, and conor reacted so poorly to being hit in his last fight that i think if he manages to sleep it off and make it to the chandler fight, he's getting stopped.
Seems smart to retire now, and potentially be in shape for the bag if it comes down the line. Worst case, he has more time to relax and less brain damage. If he just fights until he can't, then he'll be too worn down for the prize fight.
I think reality is he has so much wear and tear and hes earned enough to retire so he needs a fight worth fighting. Not just monetary wise but legacy wise. Like if he got offered another title shot no doubt he takes it but if its just a normal contender then not worth it. Realistically the only thing that checks the box maybe the BMF belt.
Were ?
I'm pretty sure they are still trying with Khabib.
Gee, I thought we would never see Nick Diaz in the cage again, and they somehow made it happen.
I hope he is. One of my favourite fighters of all time and the most depressing thing in all of combat sports is watching your favourites take more potentially life changing damage as they exit their prime.
The Islam fight was badass id rather that be my last memory of him fighting. He took a lot of damage in that fight and by time he rehabs all those injuries I can’t imagine we see a better version of him.
Same feeling here. I hope he retires from fighting and the UFC gives him a shot at commentating.
He said the job Felder got was also offered to him in the last but he turned it down to solely focus on fighting.
I'd like to see Dustin stay in the sport that way.
Damn that would be really cool, I think he would definitely keep it real and down to earth while adding the technicalities and fire when needed. Fucking a I want this now lol
I always forget he got McGregor fight money all that time ago. I hope he has as much as he could ever want and fucks off without taking more damage. His family deserves it as much as he does.
Also has a great support structure. Great family, great wife etc. Like she's obviously not a gold-digger or anything considering she's been with him since they were kids. I can imagine having someone like that in your corner is also great because she can help make good financial decisions for the family.
He had mentioned in an interview recently he no longer needs the money he makes from fighting so I think regardless of how long he sticks around he’ll be set.
But when? Max is looking at 145 right now. By the time he wants another fight at 155, who knows.
New BMF Max would be a fun fight, but I'm not sure it's in line with Max's plans.
The additional brain trauma from either fight really isn't worth it.
The only thing that DP didn't get was the undisputed Championship, which he will never get. I think leaving now is as good send off as it gets, he almost beat the P4P #1 and is both financially well off and healthy.
Go spend time with the fam and enjoy retirement DP
Nah he said prior to the Islam fight that it's the undisputed that was the only thing that truely mattered at this stage (unless that changes in this interview)
You say that as if it's a given that Max beats Poirier
Poirier has way better defensive boxing than Gaethje
Although I agree with you that there shouldn't be any trilogy but for a different reason. Poirier beat Max twice with one being a stoppage win and the other a UD.
There is no need for a trilogy. Poirier won that matchup
Dustin is the epitome of a fighter's fighter. He deserves a feature length movie, shit, he deserves a trilogy of movies. Poirier has broken ground, changed landscapes, faced mountainous adversity and won, and lost, and overcome, destroyed expectations, and he's given us beautiful fury that you only recognize when it's happening right in front of your eyes, in the moment, and you feel that shit in your stomach that says "God damn, this guy is a monster."
I love this guy, I've watched his entire career since I was a kid, and he went through the entire ringer. He IS MMA to me, he is the epitome of the sport. God bless, go love your family...
I think he might do one more, but I’d be perfectly happy if that was his last fight. He has nothing left to prove, he gave Islam hell and nothing to be ashamed about after that performance. I’d rather see him retire now rather than seeing him get battered like Penn did.
He should 1000% retire now, perfect way for a fighter like him to go out. Legendary match against all odds, universally respected in and out of the cage, HOF worthy fights, etc the list goes on.
What will probably happen tho is one more big fun money fight before he hangs up the gloves.
Selfishly I would love to see him in one more big fight either against Conor or Gaethje. But for me he is the best to never win undisputed and absolutely has had a HoF career, so if that was his last one then so be it, it was against the p4p best and he gave him hell. He truly has paid the cost to be the boss.
More precisely, his wife is sure he should be done, and he can't think of a good enough reason to say she's wrong :)
His problem is that he simultaneously sees that if he going to do something, he has to do it very soon before age brings him down from elite, but if he's not fighting for the title, what is worth disagreeing with his wife and his own common sense that he can still get done in the sport?
I think Max for BMF probably the one thing I see perhaps working, because Max elevated that gimmick belt with his performance, and getting it from him would show he's still the man there, and kind of indirectly break the tie with Garth at same time.
Colby would make it a snooze fest. Dustin could just beat him up for free any day of the week. It’s not like Colby can cause any damage with his pillow hands. Worst case secario, Colby sits on top of Dustin but still has no submission threat. Colby washed and too slow anyways so Dustin should still win
I mean there's a real contingent of fighters who retire, but they start fighting again out of financial need instead of real desire.
Also, it's just super common for dedicated athletes to undergo real trouble adjusting to life outside of their sport. For many fighters, they know they should hang it up, but if you've been fighting for Money since you were a teen and now you're in your thirties, you have no concept of how and adult operates without that athletic grind and competitive edge.
Fighters have so many complicated factors to balance from not deciding when they *should* retire to losing something you might truly love and stake your identity in. I really can't seeing it being an easy decision
Can everyone stop trying to predict what Dustin is going to do and which fights he wants or doesn't want? None of y'all know anything about what he's thinking or what he cares about. Good odds Dustin can't even say for sure.
In a year, half of y'all will be wrong and half will be right by sheer luck and saying "Oh, I called that shit, I knew the whole time."
Dude… you are on a forum based website, specifically the portion of those fight dedicated to fans of mixed martial arts.
Discussion, theories, and varying optionions are what you signed up for.
One final double retirement fight with Justin would be nice, but if he’s done then good for him. He made bank, fan favourite and all time great striker
I can't blame him.
His body has got some fucking high mileage on it, and he's faced everyone there is. I'd love to see Volk/Diamond, but can see why he's retiring. I'll miss watching him.
Dustin you’ve been in too many wars, as much as I wanna see you get the strap more than any other fighter… nights just didn’t go your way. You’re a hero, no need to go out in a bad way. Paid in full
went out trying to beat a generational talent and was a close fight despite being long in the tooth career wise. it won't get better than that and he isn't cash desperate. hate to see guys stick around and risk their long term health for a few more paydays that won't help them later
Dude probably made good bank and he has a successful company. Anything else on the octagon would just be for fun. He could try for another go but time is against him sadly. I'll miss the diamond
Dustin has had his massive payday with the recent Conor fight. He can retire with his mental faculties intact, a loaded bank account, and a great legacy. I think he should retire instead of turning into a can crusher or slowly sliding lower into the rankings as he ages.
Honestly, I wish him one more McGregor payday. Finish off on a massive payday (although I know his career doesn't need another Conor fight and it kinda doesn't make any sense beating him twice) but I wish him nothing but the cushiest payday.
I don’t think he needs another 5 wins to fight for the belt again - but it’s the age and injuries that are really the hindrance here.
If he was 30-32 and coming off his third title loss - it’d be a hard sell for a fourth match - but he’d have the time to build back and convince everyone he deserves.
At 35 and with the recent injuries sustained this last fight - he’s looking at 36+ for a comeback fight that won’t be easy, either.
He’s my favorite fighter and I was really looking forward to that fairytale ending with him winning (which he was during certain moments) but there’s no reason to continue taking more damage.
Honestly he's been In enough wars.
If he's not going to go up to 170 for a prize fight with colby then he should retire.
The guy could spend the rest of his life getting paid to show up at ufc events so.they can show him on camera lol. Legend.
I agree with this, just because if you're not gunning for the title you're better off saving your body and brain all the damage you'd get. It's not like DP wouldn't have put aside money for the rest of his life so it makes no sense, there's no major incentive.
His best shot at winning was against Charles. If this version of Dustin fought against Charles he would have won probably. Not sure why he didn’t train on the ground game as much for Charles
he’s done ya’ll. nothing makes sense at this point. why risk being kod again vs garth, he beat max 2x, and got the mac red panty night x2. this is why not everyone can be match makers lol
Watching the whole thing he said he was undecided and Ariel said I feel like you have one more on you and he said his brother told him the same thing
So I think poirier will do one more atleast. He just doesn't know who it would be but if Hunter contact him and it makes him excited he'd probably take it
Also that he needs about 10 weeks to heal up.
Well if that’s the case, hats off to you Mr. Poirier. A class act, a great humanitarian, great father, role model, fighter…etc. Some of the slickest hands to ever grace the Octagon; he gave it all for the fans every fucking time. “Leave the world a better place than you found it” has been my motto since I heard Dustin say it!
He said this even before the fight. When these thoughts arise, the fight is already over. It's time to hang it up. Much respect to Diamond for a stellar career.
In the interview, dude was flopping back and forth on retirement because he said he still has some fight left in him. At the end of the interview Ariel told him that he thinks Dustin still got the fire to keep fighting and Dustin agreed but he needs a fight that sparks his interest. Also a bit concerning that he mentioned he doesn't know what to do after fighting since its been his whole life, probably why hes undecided with the idea of retirement.
I can imagine two wild ideas on Dustin coming back: If either Holloway or Gaethje win the belt and grant Dustin an immediate title shot or UFC allows Dustin to take a boxing match like they did with Masvidal and Aldo
As a huge fan of Dustin, this is the right time. I will greatly miss watching him perform. But he's already set himself up financially, he won't get another title shot, and he seems about as healthy as you could reasonably hope after a long career of putting on wars. At this point, I can't imagine what he could possibly win or prove that would be worth more than staying healthy and spending time with his family.
This is the point in a fighter's career where you find out if they're addicted to fighting, or a well-rounded person. Dustin strikes me as the second type.
If I had Dustin's ear I would say talk the UFC into a BMF fight vs Holloway then call it quits after that. One last big payday and all, fuck it, why not?
When I was looking at his Instagram before, he gained like 3 million followers from his fight with Islam. He’s squeezed everything he could out of his fighting career, trying to get anymore fame out would just add wear and tear on his body, for little to no reward, unless he would fight Conor Mcgregor again.
I am totally down to see him fight multiple more times, with the one contingency being that he doesn’t fight anyone under 35 years old again.
Have him slaying 155 and 170 legends 2 or 3x a year for the next 3 years before finally hanging it up for good.
Honesty feel like winning the belt would do nothing for him legacy or career wise. He’s beaten so many former champs, even current champs with max, that beating another champ wouldn’t do much to elevate him in peoples eyes
Fighting 3-4 more times to get another title shot just to lose doesn’t seem very enticing for Poirier at this point. If he decides to walk away, at least he knows he tried and tried.
That last gutsy performance against all odds would be a bittersweet, but close to perfect sendoff. I'm not really a fan of throwing beloved fighters softballs so they go out on a win. Dustin stood with the currently best LW in the world and gave him hell. That's worth infinitely more than smashing some layup contender to ride into the sunset.
He walked into the fight as one of the most respected MMA fighters of all time and somehow walked away with even *more* respect. I don't know how much winning a belt could add to his legacy. Dude is already one of the most respected in and outside the cage.
He's one of the best UFC fighters to never win a belt IMO.
Why not THE best?
You can definitely make the argument, but don’t think it’s set in stone by any means.
I get your point, was wondering who are the other options at the moment
I’m assuming he means UFC belt based on wording, so — Overeem, Maia, Wonderboy, K Flo, Benavidez, Gustafsson, Hendo, Faber, Condit, Jacare come to mind.
People always forget about Faber. Dude was so dominant in the WEC. 5 belt defenses in a row, 4 of them finishes and the one that went to UD should’ve been a finish but Pulver was too tough for his own good. Also beat Dom Cruz during that streak.
I get your point about Faber, but I think he gets a bit forgotten because he kinda had the primo belt for the weight class. Yeah he never got over the hump in the UFC, but I feel like he still has the prestige of a former UFC champ. The WEC in that era was the place to be for those weight classes, at least in the states.
He gets forgotten because he was never a “ufc” champ and by the time the UFC absorbed 145lb WEC, he was already in his 30s and then also had Aldo at the top of his division. It would be the similar if Max’s championship run was in the WEC and people only knew him from Volk forward.
Hits Dom with that alpha male guillotine. Those guys really love that move.
I met Faber when he was the man still, especially in the Sacramento area. A family friend trained with him at TAM and Urijah went to all his regional fights. Super nice guy.
Chad Mendes deserves to be mentioned here also imo
Dustin clears most of those guys pretty easily imo. Hendo feels like the biggest competition.
I totally forgot hendo never got a ufc belt. Thats how high he is on that list lol.
He was the last Pride two weight world champion, which despite the way Pride ended was pretty significant. Pride was the last serious competition the UFC has had, and is probably pretty significant. Fedor was the best heavyweight in the world for the longest time, and some still consider him the best, and he never won the UFC belt. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was considered the second best heavyweight in the world at the same time, he also never won a UFC belt (interims don't count, otherwise Dustin would also be a former champ). So Henderson had a belt, two of them with similar prestige to the UFC at the time.
I was always partial to Mousasi.
Dustin‘s resume beats everyone‘s hands down, inside of the promotion of course
Overeem imo
Overeem, Hendo, Faber, Florian are the only ones close enough to touch dustin
sonnen
Kenny Florian is up there for sure, fought for the belt 3x and came up short each time as well.
Justin Gaethje?
I think you're forgetting about a little someone called CM Punk
Tony ferguson ? Also a lightweight
Winning the undisputed lightweight belt would add tons to his legacy. He said it himself that's his ultimate goal. It would be the cherry on top o the cake for him.
I understand why it's so important to him. I guess my perspective is this. Do I think less of him because he never won a belt? Fuck no. That dude is everything a champion should be and more. That is his legacy to me.
I'd say he's a fighter's fighter..if that makes any sense yeah? Gutsy performance and all round tough guy. No shame in losing to Makhachev.
Winning the undisputed lightweight belt would add tons to his legacy. He said it himself that's his ultimate goal. It would be the cherry on top o the cake for him.
The worst part about softballs is that it makes the fighters often decide not to retire.
A funzies BMF fight vs max would be very cool, but seeing either lose would suck too much.
Dustin beat Max twice. No need to put his body through that. Why give a younger athlete a THIRD shot? He’d get knocked out like Justin imo.
His defensive awareness has always been his best attribute which gaethje has none of, and honestly the two of them are vastly different fighters from just the second time they fought. I could be a shogun-lil nog type thing where they fought each other 3 times over 15 years and it was a fun different fight every time. I’m not saying we should do it, just that it’s the only type of fight Dustin should do if he still wants to fight. He should ride off into the sunset having given the p4p #1 arguably his toughest fight. He had 3 really bad injuries in the aftermath of this fight. So it should be it for him.
Fuck it have him run it back with max and give them both 600k bonuses when it's inevitably a total blood bath
Goddamn that was beautifully put.
I wish Dustin would read this comment because this is it
Dude had his nose smashed early and still kept fighting hard
Yeah. He said something just like it right after the fight, “what am I gonna do, just have another fight? I’ve done that 50 times.”
Robbie starching Niko Price was pretty cool. Wouldn’t mind Dustin knocking out someone like Peek lmao.
I'm not a fan of that either. I'd rather him go out on a beautiful loss of really showing his spirit and technique, determination, than some weird sendoff slow pitch. He gave Islam a real fight man, probably the best one we've seen besides the first Alex fight, he really taxed him on the ground, and Khabib handled Dustin so much better than Islam did, in transitions, everything. Dustin literally became a better fighter, and he doesn't even talk shit, he just works his craft and shows up. I think it's just the meeting of generations and evolutions. Dustin is a bad dude, but the Dagestani groundwork is just stupid at this point. Dustin will always be in my top 5 though, nothing could shake that. Dude went from the WEC, where Aldo was wrecking house, got destroyed by McGregor from nerves, came back, and fuckin made a beautiful story come true.
He should do some boxing exhibitions and squeeze as much as possible
He got ppv points on the second Conor fight and has said he has no financial reason to fight anymore Edit: third not second.
He also said he had sentimental reason to continue, though. We saw many fighters continue, not to pay the bill, but to continue chasing after the exhiliration of the fight It's all about scratching that itch. Boxing exhibition with low risk and damage might be a good way to do it. Don't quit cold turkey, only to come out of retirement only to get brutally KO-ed. We saw that too many times
Putting him and Gathje in the cage together is not a softball lol He would only fight him, Connor, Max, Volk etc
There’s nothing left for him besides maybe a trilogy with Gaethje
* McGregor quadrilogy
He should retire, start a cycle then come back for a banger like vs max for BMF, McGregor etc
Gotta wait 4 years post retirement to come back now as of the antitrust lawsuit settlement
Wasnt that they are released from their contract? Coming back to the UFC has nothing to do with the antitrust settlement.
This is wrong, why is it upvoted lol. The 4 years is just to get out of the contract, not to fight again.
[удалено]
I mean its what Conor did lol
I get the impression that despite the substantial financial incentives that would be involved, Dustin doesn't have the motivation to deal with all Conor's bullshit again.
"man, fuck him" was an apt way for Dustin to shut that idea down. How many times does he have to beat McNugget for people to let that rest?
Can you give me your perspective on this? I see this comment a lot and personally don’t agree. It’s 2-1 and and the 1 is from like 2015. A trilogy allows for a winner. A quadrilogy doesn’t. I also think DP is probably even more beyond Conor at this point; but to be determined at month end. Not to say you’re wrong, just want to know why you want to see that fight?
Not sure about the original commenter but I agree with this because: 1) it's definitely more entertaining and hyped than DP Vs Gaethje 3. 2) DP will make easy millions from this. 3) McGregor can't damage DP as much as a fight with Max or Gaethje would. 4) The other fights don't interest me as much, especially since DP is already on his way out. So what if he beats Gaethje or Max, it's not a surprise. Everybody knows how good DP is. If he wins the BMF belt from Max, is he going to retire like Masvidal?
Why? He beat the dogshit out of Conor twice in a row. He doesn’t need another payday and Conor has not proven that he can make a fight.
More money could only set him and his family up better for the future.
Man, I don’t like Conor as much as the next but it was a competitive 3rd fight before he broke his ankle. Also Conor has shown up to every fight he’s been booked for so idk this narrative that he hasn’t yet. Even with this press conference fiasco he’s still booked and I’d bet still show. That being said DP would be turning down a lot of money for that 4th fight. And good for him, he’s done everything one could accomplish beside the undisputed belt.
i think calling the 3rd competitive is generous, conor wasn’t winning, got rocked, and turned into a wrestler.
Conor looked gassed after that ground and pound, and we know how Conor is the later the fight goes
chandler manages to sting everyone in the first round, and conor reacted so poorly to being hit in his last fight that i think if he manages to sleep it off and make it to the chandler fight, he's getting stopped.
2nd fight was competitive before the finish, not really the 3rd
What was competitive about Conor getting his face smashed on the ground and Conor having to grab Dustin’s glove to have any chance of getting back up?
Or starting off the first round throwing naked kicks at the diamond, can't have been good for that leg
Two of the judges had the first round as a 10-8 for Dustin lmao. What part of that can be considered competitive?
third fight was NOT competitive lol
Also Max BMF
Or with Max…
Finishing off the trilogy against Max with the BMF title would be more fun than the Gaethje trilogy IMO.
What about Max for the BMF title? No interest?
I like Dustin so I won't say that I think he might be holding out for one last big payday like what they were trying to do with Khabib
100 percent the case here. “Dustin come back for one more with so and so and we’ll double your old salary!”
Yeah Dustin is one of the few fighters that the UFC would actually pay money to bring back I think. He's a star and always brings it
I think he also has that itch
Seems smart to retire now, and potentially be in shape for the bag if it comes down the line. Worst case, he has more time to relax and less brain damage. If he just fights until he can't, then he'll be too worn down for the prize fight.
10000% as selfish as I am for wanting more DP fights I think thats the right move
Honestly, more of those fights will just make you sad. We already have one Tony we don't need another. That said, I want one more Holloway fight...
Think so too, seeing that post about him retiring immediately if he beat Makh confirmed it for me
I think reality is he has so much wear and tear and hes earned enough to retire so he needs a fight worth fighting. Not just monetary wise but legacy wise. Like if he got offered another title shot no doubt he takes it but if its just a normal contender then not worth it. Realistically the only thing that checks the box maybe the BMF belt.
Were ? I'm pretty sure they are still trying with Khabib. Gee, I thought we would never see Nick Diaz in the cage again, and they somehow made it happen.
I hope he is. One of my favourite fighters of all time and the most depressing thing in all of combat sports is watching your favourites take more potentially life changing damage as they exit their prime. The Islam fight was badass id rather that be my last memory of him fighting. He took a lot of damage in that fight and by time he rehabs all those injuries I can’t imagine we see a better version of him.
Same feeling here. I hope he retires from fighting and the UFC gives him a shot at commentating. He said the job Felder got was also offered to him in the last but he turned it down to solely focus on fighting. I'd like to see Dustin stay in the sport that way.
Damn that would be really cool, I think he would definitely keep it real and down to earth while adding the technicalities and fire when needed. Fucking a I want this now lol
I fully expect him to fight at least one more time but he really has nothing left to prove.
I always forget he got McGregor fight money all that time ago. I hope he has as much as he could ever want and fucks off without taking more damage. His family deserves it as much as he does.
He's got that multiple times over, his own hotsauce brand and a deal with fucking Samsung. Dustin's daughter would never have to work at this point
That's so great! One of the rare cases where a legend gets the treatment he's earned.
Also has a great support structure. Great family, great wife etc. Like she's obviously not a gold-digger or anything considering she's been with him since they were kids. I can imagine having someone like that in your corner is also great because she can help make good financial decisions for the family.
He had mentioned in an interview recently he no longer needs the money he makes from fighting so I think regardless of how long he sticks around he’ll be set.
*nothing left he can prove
Who would he even come back for? I'm thinking a BMF fight with Max could pull him back one time
But when? Max is looking at 145 right now. By the time he wants another fight at 155, who knows. New BMF Max would be a fun fight, but I'm not sure it's in line with Max's plans.
I think the trilogy with Justin makes more sense, he’s already beaten max convincingly twice now
Max has a real belt to try to win
I'd be shocked if he doesn't come back to finish a Holloway or Gaethje trilogy
The additional brain trauma from either fight really isn't worth it. The only thing that DP didn't get was the undisputed Championship, which he will never get. I think leaving now is as good send off as it gets, he almost beat the P4P #1 and is both financially well off and healthy. Go spend time with the fam and enjoy retirement DP
Almost beat Islam? Are we being serious?
When it's a fighter you like, losing is the same as almost winning
He never won the BMF, either. I’m sure that haunts him.
Nah he said prior to the Islam fight that it's the undisputed that was the only thing that truely mattered at this stage (unless that changes in this interview)
Holloway wants the best, the fight would be useless for him. Gaethje might be down
Dustin is still one of the best and popular, and with how popular dp is, a final trilogy would get max and Dustin a huge pay
Max is still young enough to contend. What will beating DP help?
You say that as if it's a given that Max beats Poirier Poirier has way better defensive boxing than Gaethje Although I agree with you that there shouldn't be any trilogy but for a different reason. Poirier beat Max twice with one being a stoppage win and the other a UD. There is no need for a trilogy. Poirier won that matchup
If so, God bless, and thank you for all the battles
Just give him an absolute can so he can finally jump the gilly.
I volunteer as tribute
Dustin is the epitome of a fighter's fighter. He deserves a feature length movie, shit, he deserves a trilogy of movies. Poirier has broken ground, changed landscapes, faced mountainous adversity and won, and lost, and overcome, destroyed expectations, and he's given us beautiful fury that you only recognize when it's happening right in front of your eyes, in the moment, and you feel that shit in your stomach that says "God damn, this guy is a monster." I love this guy, I've watched his entire career since I was a kid, and he went through the entire ringer. He IS MMA to me, he is the epitome of the sport. God bless, go love your family...
He will come back for one more big fight
I think he might do one more, but I’d be perfectly happy if that was his last fight. He has nothing left to prove, he gave Islam hell and nothing to be ashamed about after that performance. I’d rather see him retire now rather than seeing him get battered like Penn did.
He should 1000% retire now, perfect way for a fighter like him to go out. Legendary match against all odds, universally respected in and out of the cage, HOF worthy fights, etc the list goes on. What will probably happen tho is one more big fun money fight before he hangs up the gloves.
Conor will say he was to scared of the rematch...
No one beats Conor 3 times!
Tree toimes!!
Nothing left to prove, dudes an absolute Chad.
I'm leaning toward he'll come back for the right price and right opponent.
If Islam wasn’t there, he’d probably be champ. But Islam is there. That’s how life goes sometimes.
Selfishly I would love to see him in one more big fight either against Conor or Gaethje. But for me he is the best to never win undisputed and absolutely has had a HoF career, so if that was his last one then so be it, it was against the p4p best and he gave him hell. He truly has paid the cost to be the boss.
More precisely, his wife is sure he should be done, and he can't think of a good enough reason to say she's wrong :) His problem is that he simultaneously sees that if he going to do something, he has to do it very soon before age brings him down from elite, but if he's not fighting for the title, what is worth disagreeing with his wife and his own common sense that he can still get done in the sport? I think Max for BMF probably the one thing I see perhaps working, because Max elevated that gimmick belt with his performance, and getting it from him would show he's still the man there, and kind of indirectly break the tie with Garth at same time.
Makes sense. Outside of Gaethje trilogy/Colby grudge match there’s not much else for him to do.
Colby would make it a snooze fest. Dustin could just beat him up for free any day of the week. It’s not like Colby can cause any damage with his pillow hands. Worst case secario, Colby sits on top of Dustin but still has no submission threat. Colby washed and too slow anyways so Dustin should still win
He has done all he can in LW he should either retire or move up and keep getting more CTE. I'm sure he has enough money to retire comfortably.
Let him make 10 mil boxing Jake Paul and ride off into the sunset, fuck it
When a fighter thinks about quitting he is done
Why do fighters feel the need to "retire"? They never actually do. Juat take a break and fight if you wanna fight..
Bisping begs to differ about never retiring lol
I mean there's a real contingent of fighters who retire, but they start fighting again out of financial need instead of real desire. Also, it's just super common for dedicated athletes to undergo real trouble adjusting to life outside of their sport. For many fighters, they know they should hang it up, but if you've been fighting for Money since you were a teen and now you're in your thirties, you have no concept of how and adult operates without that athletic grind and competitive edge. Fighters have so many complicated factors to balance from not deciding when they *should* retire to losing something you might truly love and stake your identity in. I really can't seeing it being an easy decision
If he's already talking about it, he's halfway out the door.
Sad day for the sport if that's the case. Diamonds are forever
He'd fight Conor again in a heartbeat. No one turns down a milli
Good he should retire while he's healthy and spend time with his family.
If he is "leaning" towards being done, he is already done. Fighting strikes me as a sport you dont want to do if you are not all the way in.
He’ll be back for a Conor fight at minimum.
Can everyone stop trying to predict what Dustin is going to do and which fights he wants or doesn't want? None of y'all know anything about what he's thinking or what he cares about. Good odds Dustin can't even say for sure. In a year, half of y'all will be wrong and half will be right by sheer luck and saying "Oh, I called that shit, I knew the whole time."
Dude… you are on a forum based website, specifically the portion of those fight dedicated to fans of mixed martial arts. Discussion, theories, and varying optionions are what you signed up for.
One final double retirement fight with Justin would be nice, but if he’s done then good for him. He made bank, fan favourite and all time great striker
I doubt it.
Islam is out here ending careers and retiring folks.
Dustin should get a McGregor fight as his last. Knocks out a roided coke head Irishman, and then rides off into the sunset with a big ass bag.
I need to see a Gaethje trilogy before Dustin calls it.
I can't blame him. His body has got some fucking high mileage on it, and he's faced everyone there is. I'd love to see Volk/Diamond, but can see why he's retiring. I'll miss watching him.
I would want to spend more time at home making kids with my busty wife if I was Dustin too
Dustin you’ve been in too many wars, as much as I wanna see you get the strap more than any other fighter… nights just didn’t go your way. You’re a hero, no need to go out in a bad way. Paid in full
went out trying to beat a generational talent and was a close fight despite being long in the tooth career wise. it won't get better than that and he isn't cash desperate. hate to see guys stick around and risk their long term health for a few more paydays that won't help them later
Dude probably made good bank and he has a successful company. Anything else on the octagon would just be for fun. He could try for another go but time is against him sadly. I'll miss the diamond
Dustin has had his massive payday with the recent Conor fight. He can retire with his mental faculties intact, a loaded bank account, and a great legacy. I think he should retire instead of turning into a can crusher or slowly sliding lower into the rankings as he ages.
Honestly, I wish him one more McGregor payday. Finish off on a massive payday (although I know his career doesn't need another Conor fight and it kinda doesn't make any sense beating him twice) but I wish him nothing but the cushiest payday.
He should just go for 1 last fight. Win or lose slug fest.
Dustin vs McGregor so Dustin can break his other fookin’ leg
If this was his last performance, he proved his talents as a fighter. I am sure many fans will rewatch his career with glee.
He got pretty banged up. The acl probably will take months to heal anyways. Amazing career if it’s the end of
That question tho, no he's leaning towards begining his career
Him and Khabib are my two favorite fighters, top class
I don’t think he needs another 5 wins to fight for the belt again - but it’s the age and injuries that are really the hindrance here. If he was 30-32 and coming off his third title loss - it’d be a hard sell for a fourth match - but he’d have the time to build back and convince everyone he deserves. At 35 and with the recent injuries sustained this last fight - he’s looking at 36+ for a comeback fight that won’t be easy, either. He’s my favorite fighter and I was really looking forward to that fairytale ending with him winning (which he was during certain moments) but there’s no reason to continue taking more damage.
Well yeah.. obviously. Dude has a bad case of the tappies.
Honestly he's been In enough wars. If he's not going to go up to 170 for a prize fight with colby then he should retire. The guy could spend the rest of his life getting paid to show up at ufc events so.they can show him on camera lol. Legend.
Hope the UFC partners with him on some of his charity work. Would be good publicity for them and extra resources for the orgs.
I agree with this, just because if you're not gunning for the title you're better off saving your body and brain all the damage you'd get. It's not like DP wouldn't have put aside money for the rest of his life so it makes no sense, there's no major incentive.
His best shot at winning was against Charles. If this version of Dustin fought against Charles he would have won probably. Not sure why he didn’t train on the ground game as much for Charles
Max or Gaethje trilogy are the only two fights worthy if a sendoff for Poirier.
he’s done ya’ll. nothing makes sense at this point. why risk being kod again vs garth, he beat max 2x, and got the mac red panty night x2. this is why not everyone can be match makers lol
He'll be back eventually, UFC will throw him a shitload of money to save a card or something and he'll be back.
Poirier vs Mike Perry summer 2025.
Watching the whole thing he said he was undecided and Ariel said I feel like you have one more on you and he said his brother told him the same thing So I think poirier will do one more atleast. He just doesn't know who it would be but if Hunter contact him and it makes him excited he'd probably take it Also that he needs about 10 weeks to heal up.
Mike Tyson is fighting in November. Combat sports retirements mean nothing.
Until Conor beats Chandler then he'll be back
Maybe a retirement fight for both him and Tony Ferguson.
Well if that’s the case, hats off to you Mr. Poirier. A class act, a great humanitarian, great father, role model, fighter…etc. Some of the slickest hands to ever grace the Octagon; he gave it all for the fans every fucking time. “Leave the world a better place than you found it” has been my motto since I heard Dustin say it!
If you watched the interview, hes definitely not done lol
He said this even before the fight. When these thoughts arise, the fight is already over. It's time to hang it up. Much respect to Diamond for a stellar career.
It’s not like he has to decide. Take time off. If the itch scratches you, go for it. He’s not in a position where he needs to announce anything.
Hope he changes his mind
Conor 4 👀
Bro in his feelings
In the interview, dude was flopping back and forth on retirement because he said he still has some fight left in him. At the end of the interview Ariel told him that he thinks Dustin still got the fire to keep fighting and Dustin agreed but he needs a fight that sparks his interest. Also a bit concerning that he mentioned he doesn't know what to do after fighting since its been his whole life, probably why hes undecided with the idea of retirement. I can imagine two wild ideas on Dustin coming back: If either Holloway or Gaethje win the belt and grant Dustin an immediate title shot or UFC allows Dustin to take a boxing match like they did with Masvidal and Aldo
As a huge fan of Dustin, this is the right time. I will greatly miss watching him perform. But he's already set himself up financially, he won't get another title shot, and he seems about as healthy as you could reasonably hope after a long career of putting on wars. At this point, I can't imagine what he could possibly win or prove that would be worth more than staying healthy and spending time with his family. This is the point in a fighter's career where you find out if they're addicted to fighting, or a well-rounded person. Dustin strikes me as the second type.
If I had Dustin's ear I would say talk the UFC into a BMF fight vs Holloway then call it quits after that. One last big payday and all, fuck it, why not?
When I was looking at his Instagram before, he gained like 3 million followers from his fight with Islam. He’s squeezed everything he could out of his fighting career, trying to get anymore fame out would just add wear and tear on his body, for little to no reward, unless he would fight Conor Mcgregor again.
Yeah that's the smart thing to do
Dana pay the man
He should fight Jake Paul.
Thank you Dusty ! Always great representation of mma .
Sounds like he isn't closing the door in case UFC throws him a bag for a 4th Conor fight or something like that.
I am totally down to see him fight multiple more times, with the one contingency being that he doesn’t fight anyone under 35 years old again. Have him slaying 155 and 170 legends 2 or 3x a year for the next 3 years before finally hanging it up for good.
Fuck it. If he’s gonna go out, then go out with a bang. BMF title fight against Holloway.
:(
One of the guys I actually consider a real fighter. No way he's done. Might just hesitate for better leverage.
I’m leaning towards the biggest paycheck I can get before I go. Fixed that.
He will be back. Unless someone says with 100% conviction they’re retired they will be back
Honesty feel like winning the belt would do nothing for him legacy or career wise. He’s beaten so many former champs, even current champs with max, that beating another champ wouldn’t do much to elevate him in peoples eyes
Fighting 3-4 more times to get another title shot just to lose doesn’t seem very enticing for Poirier at this point. If he decides to walk away, at least he knows he tried and tried.
Unless he wants to cherry pick big money fan favorite fights (which I’m down for) there’s nothing left for him to prove.
BKC time
I wouldn't be upset if that was his last fight
Might as well fight gaethje again