Poirier Could Retire If He Beats Makhachev

“It could be [my last fight], I haven’t made an official decision yet. But, it could be. I’ve said this over and over again, I still have a lot of tread left on the tires. I can beat these young guys, I just did it [against Saint-Denis]… It’s just like, how much do I want to give to this sport? Because you don’t ride for free. I don’t want to make any decisions just based on the way I’m feeling [right now]. I need to go out there and fight, like I said in Miami,” Poirier said

Regardless of the result, Dustin still has plenty of other fights that could be made. He could run things back with Justin Gaethje and avenge his loss. Their current record is 1-1 after Poirier won their first bout in 2018. There is also the potential for a fourth fight with Conor McGregor. Dustin leads the head-to-head 2-1, having beaten McGregor in consecutive fights.

Poirier vs McGregor

However, their last clash at UFC 264 ended with McGregor breaking his leg. The Irishman has indicated his desire to face Poirier again. That would generate a big payday, allowing Dustin to retire with a good purse. That all depends on whether McGregor is the same fighter. He fights Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 during International Fight Week. Based on Poirier’s previous comments, it is a possibility.

“I probably would (say yes) – try to shut him up once and for all. But even if I slap his ass around again, he’s still going to be chatting. So we’ll see. Is him and Chandler official? I don’t know what’s going on. But that’s a huge fight. (Our rivalry is) 2-1 against him. I don’t really see another reason for it, but it’d be a huge fight,” Dustin stated  

Winning a title would cap off Poirier’s career. He has beaten the big names. But unfortunately, he has never managed to secure a title. He is an ex-Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. He defeated Max Holloway at UFC 236 in 2019 to get that belt. However, he came up short when he faced Charles Oliveira in 2021 at UFC 269. Oliveira beat Dustin for the UFC Lightweight Title. Dustin also suffered a defeat for the same belt, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in 2019. So can he go one better?