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It was about celebrating one of the sports most beloved figures, an all-action competitor in the Octagon with a reputation for having a heart of gold outside of it. UFC CEO Dana White said ahead of time that UFC 318 was a love letter to Dustin Poirier, and the event lived up to its advance billing.
“It felt incredible. It felt unreal. It felt like a movie. It felt like I was watching it from the outside,” Poirier said at the UFC 318 post-fight press conference. “It was really cool. I felt the love and turning back and seeing [Lil Wayne] walking [to the cage] with us. I’m from the streets of Louisiana. I grew up listening to No Limit and Cash Money and the guy’s walking with me — crazy.”
Poirier faced plenty of media demands leading up to his farewell fight, but that didn’t affect him once he was standing across from Max Holloway inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
“It’s tunnel vision, just muscle memory. Once that door locks and that bell rings, it’s go time. I’m not thinking about anything else,” he said. “The distractions came more this week with people reaching out, all the interviews. I tried my best to represent the state of Louisiana and talk about what we have going on and the culture here — just getting pulled a lot of different ways. Fight night felt like any other fight night. It was a lot louder and I felt the love — but it was no distraction.”
Poirier didn’t get his fairytale ending. “The Diamond” fought valiantly in his trilogy with Holloway — and nearly secured a finish at the end of Round 2 — but he ultimately dropped a unanimous decision to the reigning BMF champion.
"I thought I competed with [one of the best guys] in the world,” Poirier said. “I thought it was close. I felt good in there. Cardio felt good, my movement felt good. I wanted to go show that I could compete, make it close and say ‘Hey I’m still at the top of my game. I’m going out because I want to.’ I wanted it to be a war.”
After the bout, the Las Vegas-based promotion paid tribute to Poirier with a retrospective video entitle “Paid in Full.” The 36-year-old Louisianan couldn’t help but get emotional as he looked back on a memorable career.
“The video was tough to watch,” he said. “This whole journey means so much to me. Seeing my mom and my first martial arts kickboxing coach, I didn’t know they got him to film that. Seeing my daughter talk. It really pulled at my heartstrings, man.
“I’m just thankful that I have this journey documented and people following along for so long. It’s amazing. Not that I didn’t feel like I meant that much to the company — I just never thought about it. I didn’t know that people cared that much. I thought I was just fighting to feed my family. I didn’t know I touched so many people until this last week.”
Looking Ahead: Family, Community and a Potential Broadcasting Role
With one chapter of his life coming to an end, Poirier is looking forward to being even more involved with his family and the community.
“Fighting is such a selfish sport. I put so many things on hold to chase these dreams and do these camps. I just want to get home and get on a normal schedule with my family,” he said.
READ HERE
Dustin Poirier Reflects on Fighting Career: 'I Didn’t Know People Cared That Much'
While mixed martial arts is an individual sport with a clear-cut bottom line, UFC 318 was about far more than wins and losses.
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@Arqueto @BroRogan @Carl Drogo @lsa
@StonedLemur @Fight Professor @TerrorTimmy @Elvis. @ryun253 @don't ask @C0NCH3TO @MEAN357 @Cooliox @mudrubble @Bobby Boulders @Simple Southerner @svmr_db @Luthien @BoxerMaurits @Neck&Neck @SeattleFightFan @Ares Black @Arm Barbarian @Blanqa Blanqua @Royce's Gi @Cooliox @Krixes @MXZT @wisdom blows @nonoob @Mohawk Banditó @JKS @SuperNerd @2004 account @Mammothman @Bushwhacker B @Siver! @TITS @Cowboy Kurt Angle @Jose Beehive @MEAN357 @NoBiasJustMMA @FlyingDeathKick @Doughie99 @13Seconds @CPH @Kenny Powerth @OldBoy91 @Kryptt @Paynebringer @HI SCOTT NEWMAN @Poirierfan @SenorFranko @MMALOPEZ @Hellowhosthat @Get To Da Choppa @BangBang @Substance Abuse @John makfresshi @Islam Imamate @Wong_Wongster_Irish @TCE @Jackonfire @helax @Iroh
