‘I’m the baddest motherf*cker forever’: Dustin Poirier reveals how he wants to be remembered after retirement

UFC 299: Poirier v Saint Denis — Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Dustin Poirier admits the reality of his retirement probably won’t hit him until after his fight against Max Holloway at UFC 318 is finished, but it’s almost impossible for him to avoid that subject.

With an entire event built around his final fight, which is happening his home state of Louisiana, Poirier definitely understands the magnitude of this moment. The vast majority of fighters don’t get these kinds of opportunities but that also speaks to Poirier choosing now as his time to walk away rather than going until the wheels fall off.

“I think it’s just the right time,” Poirier said during UFC 318 media day. “I don’t want to get retired from the sport. I don’t want this sport to chew me up. I want to walk away. I don’t want it to retire me.”

Poirier comes into the fight while he’s still ranked among the best lightweights in the sport and he’s facing off with a future Hall of Famer in Holloway. An added bonus for this matchup is Holloway putting his “BMF” title up for grabs, which could potentially serve as the final time that belt gets defended if Poirier wins and then walks away.

Poirier admits that would actually be the perfect exclamation point to his career.

“It would be huge. I would be a dream come true,” Poirier said. “My last fight, lay the gloves down in Louisiana, my debut in the UFC I walked out to a Lil’ Wayne song. My final fight in the UFC, I’m walking out with Lil’ Wayne. I provided a beautiful life for my family chasing my dream. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve built businesses. I’ve built relationships with people that are going to be part of my life forever.

“Going out with that belt in Louisiana, not getting on a flight Sunday morning, driving home in a state where I was raised and reside is a storybook ending. If I can get my hand raised Saturday night, walk out of there with the ‘BMF’ belt, I’m the baddest motherf*cker forever.”

Of course getting through Holloway is no easy task so that’s another reason why Poirier isn’t allowing his mind to wander too much regarding his looming retirement.

He’s calling it a career on Saturday regardless of the outcome but Holloway knows that beating Poirier puts him right back in the thick of the title hunt with hopes that he can eventually challenge for the UFC lightweight strap.

The fight serves as Holloway’s return to 155 pounds after he suffered a knockout loss for the first time in his career when he faced Ilia Topuria this past October. Those kinds of fights can take a toll but Poirier isn’t expecting anything less than the absolute best from Holloway.

“With the durability talk, it’s tough to say,” Poirier said about Holloway coming back from the knockout. “A lot of things play into that: genetics, lifestyle, all kinds of stuff. We’ll find out Saturday night if that shot really affected him. That’s my goal is to find out. But I’m expecting another war. I’ve been saying this every interview when asked about this trilogy with Max. This is a trilogy spanning 13 years. We’ve met at different points, we were different fighters, different men so each fight has been so different. Even looking back to the last fight with him, there’s little takeaways but I think this is a whole different thing. It’s exciting.

“Max is a legend, Hall of Famer, done incredible things in his career, going to continue to do so and a good person. So fighting him for the last one it seems poetic. Me being his debut in the UFC, him being my last fight. Everything’s happening at the right time.”

Once the fight is over, Poirier’s storied career comes to an end and it won’t take long for the tributes to start pouring in.

Of course, Poirier appreciates all the kind words that have already been said in the lead up to this event but he still doesn’t necessarily see himself in the way that fans and his fellow fighters view him and his career.

“I just feel like a normal guy,” Poirier said. “A fighter chasing dreams. I don’t look back and think I did do some pretty cool stuff! But the love and outreach from fans and stuff has been incredible this last training camp. I feel appreciated. It feels good. Because I never sit back and look at myself like that. I’m always chasing the goal. I never look at it. It’s been a lot of love.”

So how does Poirier hope he’s remembered after Saturday night is finished?

“That any time you saw my name on a card or saw a fight of mine get announced, you knew it was going to be a war and I was going to leave it all in there,” Poirier said. “I didn’t cut corners. I just took what I was given in that moment and made the best the best of it to prepare myself for those fights. I always gave it my all. I just want people to remember me as a warrior.”

‘I’m the baddest motherf*cker forever’: Dustin Poirier reveals how he wants to be remembered after retirement

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