Following his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, Dustin Poirier said that it was looking more than likely that this would be the last fight of his career.
"The Diamond" has had some time to think about how he wants to exit the sport and what the ideal send off would be.
Though his goal was to win the lightweight title and ride off into the sunset back in June, laying the gloves down in his home state of Louisiana would be another special moment.
Poirier confirmed during his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show that he's got one or two more left in him before calling time.
"I will fight again. It's just how this thing unfolds, we'll see when I do retire. Could be uno más, could be dos más. I had a good meeting at the UFC headquarters, I was out there with Celsius at a trade show and I had a good meeting. So I could come back and then so, my goal is to get a fight, get an event here in Louisiana. Whether that's Lafayette Louisiana, New Orleans. I want to lay the gloves down where I started fighting. That's my goal, just opponent availability, what makes sense."
As the former interim lightweight champion stated, the Octagon hasn't gone back to Louisiana since it's last trip in 2015, a Fight Night card that Poirier featured on.
Poirier spoke about why if Louisiana was on the cards for early next year, that would be his swan song but that isn't likely to be the case, meaning he will probably fight once before his homecoming bout.
"I'm about 95% sure that we get this done, it's just for me on my part is do I fight before that because the longer I'm away from the sport, you know, I just feel removed and I'm not with everything. I'm not training every single day, I might train three times a week, I'm always staying in shape but just technique and fundamentals and things, you have to be on the mat every day. I don't want to wait until summer or end of next year before they can come back to Louisiana is what I'm trying to say so maybe I need a fight before then just to stay in the mix, stay fresh, so I can retire how I want."
When it comes to opponents, several names came to mind for the 40-fight veteran who has taken on the whose who at lightweight.
A fight with Nate Diaz that has alluded him for a long time is one option that excites him, as does a rematch with Dan Hooker as Poirier made it clear that he doesn't just want an easy win for the last dance.
The name that he spoke about the most was Justin Gaethje who considering their past encounters and respect for one another, would make for a brilliant final opponent.
"It changes from week-to-week, month-to-month, this landscape of fighting is so crazy. Me and Gaethje are 1-1, I would love to do the last fight with him in Louisiana. Our first fight was in his backyard, our second fight was on neutral ground, the third one, let's do it in my backyard."
Watch the full interview below:
