UFC legend Dustin Poirier seemed pretty confident about deciding to retire from the company this summer. However, three months later, it seems like he may already be regretting the decision.
Poirier will go down as one of the great UFC lightweights of all-time and one of the company’s most beloved fighters ever. He fought 30 times in the top MMA promotion in the world and won an outstanding 22 times during his 14-year career in the Octagon.
- Dustin Poirier record: 30-10 (16 KOs, 7 submissions)
That’s why it made sense for him to end his career in July after 40 fights with a clash in his home state against fellow legend Max Holloway. While he didn’t get the win, it was a great fight and a fitting way to end his fight career. However, in a new conversation with Mike Heck of MMA Fighting, Poirier admits he still hasn’t adjusted to retirement.
“It’s harder than I thought it would be. I thought it would be a relief,” Poirier admitted. “When I finally put the gloves down, and I don’t have this weight on my back or this cloud over my head of getting better or what’s next. It’s been like that in my mind for 20 years. I thought it would be a relief, and life would begin in a different way. But it hasn’t yet. Maybe it’s going to take more time than I expected.”
Could the UFC White House card bring Dustin Poirier out of retirement?
Poirier said that fighting was a way of life, and breaking a cycle he has taken part in for more than half of his life is a tough thing to do. “It was a journey of finding out a lot about myself,” he said. So for him, it wasn’t a job, it was a daily passion, he says he still has the “fire” for.
Many fighters have retired from fight sports and then walked back that decision. So could Poirier be the latest to unretire? When asked about a return, perhaps at next year’s UFC White House card, it wasn’t a hard no at all.
He admitted that his wife and family preferring he not fight again is really the biggest blockade to a return. Yet, he also understands that a retirement main event in his home state will be impossible to top. But, he still left the door wide open.
“Never say never. But it would take the perfect circumstances for me to pair of gloves on and fight somebody,” said Poirier.
