Dustin Poirier gave his anything but shoot in an all-time UFC legend in his very first undisputed title shot.
Poirier quickly approaches his final assignment as an active hunter at UFC 318, after he has committed himself to a final fight 13 months after his loss of entry at Islam Makhachev.
That result at UFC 302 in Newark marked the third and ultimately last shot of Louisianan to win an undisputed title. The failure to do this is considered the only thing that lacks the career of the fan favorite lightweight.
Before Makhachev broke hearts against Poirier last year, both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira forced 'The Diamond'. But when it comes to the 'The Eagle', Poirier is far from the only man who is not to stop arsenal.
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Dustin Poirier said he couldn't get Khabib Nurmagomedov from him
Poirier fought Nurmagomedov on UFC 242 and traveled to Abu Dhabi as the interim light weight champion after his five-round victory at Max Holloway, who will now serve as his retirement opponent on UFC 318 on July 19.
While 'The Diamond' had moments of success, including Poirier's tight guillotine choke at Nurmagomedov, he was largely dominated on his way to a loss of submitting the third round.
The resident of Lafayette marked the penultimate result on the perfect 29-0 record of Dagestani, and given what Poirier said in his corner between rounds, it is easy to see why Nurmagomedov was never defeated.
“I can't pick him up from me, man,” said Poirier.
Fans responded to that medium remark, which suggested that it showed how well Nurmagomedov was compared with his UFC colleagues.
“When an elite hunter as Dustin says something like that, you know that Khabib is a different race.”
“(Justin) Gaethje and Poirier have really praised Khabib. They are the only opponents of him who have really been vocal about his level.”
Islam Makhachev supports Dustin Poirier to retire on top
While Nurmagomedov does not yet have to offer a prediction for the last Octagon from Poirier, his friend and protégé, Makhachev, recently.
The former lightweight champion showed his respect for 'The Diamond' after their fight in 2024 and supported him to end his career with a victory in New Orleans.
“I think Dustin will win,” Makhachev told MMA Junkie. “He told me that this is his last fight, and I think he will be ready.
“Dustin is a very good guy. I respect two boys from my opponents: (Alexander) Volkanovski and Dustin,” Makhachev continued. “They are really nice guys. I send them messages.”