UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier has confessed that his upcoming fight with Benoit Saint Denis could be his last one.
Poirier is scheduled to fight hot prospect Saint Denis at UFC 299 on March 9th in Miami. The former title challenger will aim to prove that his time at the top isn’t over, while prolific finisher Saint Denis is hunting the biggest win of his career so far.
This high-stakes, mouthwatering matchup is perfectly poised to be fight of the night on a stacked card. Depending on the result, this could be Dustin Poirier’s last fight.
Dustin Poirier Entering Last Fight?
Even though ‘The Diamond’ has not officially announced his retirement plans, the 35-year-old is aware that the end could be near. The UFC veteran has an incredible resume stretching all the way back to 2011. In an interview with TMZ Sports, Poirier hinted that it may not be long before he hangs up the gloves.
“Every fight could be it,” said Poirier. “Every fight. Where I’m at, 35 years old, this is my 30th fight in the UFC. Every fight could be it.”
Dustin Poirier fans will be hoping that this will not be his last fight.
High Risk, High Reward
After losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title bout in September 2019, Poirier went on a three fight winning streak. This included two wins over former double champion Conor McGregor. Since then he has only one win in his past three fights. His second shot at the belt ended in a submission defeat against Charles Oliveira, and after a thrilling win over Michael Chandler, he was knocked out by Justin Gaethje in the BMF title fight.
Sitting at number three in the rankings, Poirier is taking on a dangerous opponent in Saint Denis who is currently at number 12. He is taking a risk against a young, hungry fighter who has five finishes in his last five bouts.
When asked why he would take such a risk against a rising contender who is much lower in the rankings, Poirier responded:
“To test myself really. To see if I still got it. This guy is young, hungry, on a streak, has finished his last five opponents. That makes me nervous, so I want to toss myself in the fire. There’s where I feel I do my best work, and those are the kinds of fighters I want to fight. Guys who are leaving it all out there, showing grit, they fight for finishes. That’s the kind of fight I want to be involved in.”
All quotes credit to MMA Mania
Do you believe that this could be the last fight for Dustin Poirier? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
