Issue 177
April 2019
Things are about to get very interesting in the UFC lightweight division and one man who is in prime position for a shot at the title this year is Dustin Poirier.
Dustin Poirier
UFC Lightweight
Age: 30
Record: 24-5-0
Team: American Top Team
From: Lafayette, Louisiana
The 30-year-old Dustin Poirier has made his way to the number 3 spot in the UFC’s 155-pounds rankings and with just Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor ahead of him, 2019 could be the year that Poirier gets his first ever shot at UFC gold.
Undefeated since September 2016, the man they call ‘The Diamond’ has put together a sparkling unbeaten run with wins over Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis and Justin Gaethje.
Having ended his feud with Eddie Alvarez in July last year with another impressive second-round knockout victory, Poirier was then expected to face Nate Diaz in a showdown set for UFC 230 in November. Unfortunately, a Poirier hip injury denied fans around the world a dream fight between the pair and he sat on the sidelines for the remainder of 2018.
With his injuries now healed and his mind and body totally rested, Poirier is happy to talk exclusively to Fighters Only about his time off and his plans to capture UFC gold in 2019.
“I had some stuff with my body that I had to get taken care of, but that was months ago now,” he explains. “I enjoyed the holidays with my family, but I’m back in South Florida now training and just getting in really good shape. Being back home with my family and with my daughter, who’s two and a half now, was exactly what I needed. She’s of that age now where she understands everything that’s going on.
“It was just good to be back home with my family to rest for a while,” he continues. “Now I’m just waiting on the UFC to hear what they want to do next. Whilst I’m waiting, I’m just doing my thing – being a martial artist and getting better.”
Born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, Poirier has a number of places to train whilst away from his main training camp at American Top Team. Poirier believes having such a wide array of training facilities on his doorstep has been of huge benefit to his career and has helped him continuously improve.
“When I’m back in Louisiana I bounce around between a lot of places,” he reflects. “I train down at Tim Credeur’s gym, Gladiator Academy is probably the main place I train when I’m back. I also have my own gym there, the Diamond Training Centre, that’s a private gym and we set up sessions ahead of time when we know everyone can meet up there. One of my other buddies also has a gym called Headkicks. Those are the three main guys in Lafayette and I benefit a lot by being able to go to all of them when I’m back,
“This is an ever-evolving game and when I go back to Louisiana I get different guys to train with, guys who have different wrestling and jiu-jitsu styles,” he continues. “I feel like I’m always keeping fresh and that nothing ever gets stagnant for me. Just having the choice of training in two places makes sure I’m always on my toes and learning. I’m just living man. This is what being a martial artist is all about.”
Whilst Poirier has been on the sidelines, several key fights have taken place in the UFC lightweight division. With Nurmagomedov defending his title against McGregor, Ferguson defeating Pettis, and Al Iaquinta defeating Kevin Lee all in the last quarter of 2018, there’s been plenty of movement at the top of the division and the first half of 2019 could see several key fights take place to determine who gets the next shot at the title.
Poirier has never been one to call fighters out, but he’s adamant that his next fight either has to be for a title or for an opportunity to face the champion later this year.
“The division is top heavy and now we got guys that don’t seem like they want to be fighting for a while,” he reasons. “I think the UFC themselves are just trying to figure out what they want to do. I think in the short term we will know what’s going to happen. Everybody in this division is tough and everybody poses a different type of threat. There are too many variables in this game to say that one guy is the best in our division. I want to fight them all and one thing I’m not doing is looking back. I’m looking for fights ahead of me. I’m done fighting guys that are below me in the rankings.
“I’m not a matchmaker and I don’t run the company, but obviously I would like a top fight,” he continues. “I believe I’m next in line for a title shot behind Tony [Ferguson] and if Khabib [Nurmagomedov] isn’t going to be fighting for a year or nine months then Tony should fight for an interim title. Like I just said though, I’m not here to play matchmaker. I just want a fight that makes sense for me at this point in my career and I want to be respected for the body of work that I’ve put in. I know I’m close to the title and it’s what I want.”
Whether Poirier gets his title shot or not this year remains to be seen, but it would be hard to deny that his body of work isn’t worthy of a shot at UFC gold. Since entering the UFC in January 2011, Poirier has shown he has what it takes to rise to the top of both the UFC featherweight and lightweight divisions in a career that has seen him get his hand raised 15 times already in the Octagon. It’s a career that Poirier is understandably proud of and what excites him most is that he believes he’s not yet shown the world his full potential.
“I’ve been in the top five in two weight divisions now and had 22 fights at the highest level,” he recalls. “It’s one thing being around for nine years, but it’s another thing altogether being at the highest level. Along the way, I think I’ve improved everywhere, both mentally and physically. I started fighting when I was 18 years old and then I got to the WEC when I was 20. I’m 30 now and I’m a father. I just think I’ve matured both as a person and as a fighter at the top level.
“You’ve all seen my whole fighting career and most of my fights have all been televised,” he continues. “Right now I think everybody can see that I’m the best I’ve ever been both as a fighter and as a person. It’s been one hell of a ride already and I feel like I’m just about to hit the peak of my career. I just turned 30 a few weeks ago, so 31, 32 and 33 will be the best years of my athletic life. I feel like I’m in a great spot man and I love this.”
Whilst Poirier’s career has been full of wins and high moments, it’s not one that has lacked adversity. Defeats to the likes of McGregor and Michael Johnson in recent years could have sent the American Top Team man on a downward spiral, but each time Poirier showed the fortitude to come back stronger and use the loss to improve himself both mentally and physically.
“As a person, I’d love to get revenge on anyone that has ever beaten me; I’m a human being, of course, I want to get those guys back,” he says. “But as a fighter and a businessman, whatever man, I’m just in this to be a world champion and make money for my family.
“The avenue that gets me to that the fastest is the path I want to take that. I don’t look back anymore. I just use any setback to make me stronger and more resilient. That’s what champions do.”
MMA is often spoken about as being a young person’s game, but in recent years, several fighters over the age of 30 have captured UFC gold. With the likes of Robbie Lawler, Michael Bisping and Henry Cejudo just a few of the names that have shown it can be done, Poirier has great admiration for them having seen them suffer their own setbacks and then go on to be champions.
“Guys like Bisping and Lawler, those are the guys that I have the most respect for,” he reasons. “Those guys have shown that they can be knocked down and stay true to the path and climb and claw their way back to the top of the pile to be a champion through adversity.
“That’s going to be my path,” he continues. “Adversity has already presented itself multiple times throughout my career and I’ve shown that I have the belief and the ability to never give up hope. I want to evolve with this journey, get that belt, defend it a few times and then put a cap on my career in the next five years.”
With fire in his belly and his body now back in peak condition, Poirier feels that he’s ready to embark on the most important year of his career yet. What will happen at the top of the UFC lightweight division remains to be seen, but Poirier knows that if he keeps busy the UFC won’t be able to deny him a shot at the title later this year.
“In 2019 I’m going to be a champion. I’m in the best period of my career right now and I’m feeling the best that I’ve ever felt. This is my year to get that belt.”
