For the best part of two decades Dustin Poirier has literally been fighting for his livelihood – but that vice grip on his mind stops this Saturday night.
After 40 professional fights, Dana White and company are pulling out all the stops for Poirier this weekend as they head to New Orleans for UFC 318. The promotion is going out of its way to put on a home show for the retiring lightweight ace.
In the main event, he faces BMF champion Max Holloway, over whom he has twice got the jump already in their earlier careers. He had previously teased hanging up his gloves last year, but insists that this is his final outing.
Dustin Poirier explains the ‘grip’ fighting has, and how he will be ‘free’ at UFC 318
Dustin Poirier made his amateur MMA debut in 2007, and has been fighting as a professional since 2009. Since then it has had total control over his life, taking him away from Louisiana to train in Florida among other sacrifices, many of which have been documented by fans.
And speaking with the New York Post, Poirier explained that he is looking forward to finally getting away from the vice grip that competing has had on his life for almost two decades. “It’s more a way of life,” he said.
“So when I lay the gloves down and I’m actually free from fighting, I don’t know. I’ve got to go through it to get there. I don’t know what the mindset is there… I’ve been doing this since I was 17-years-old, this is a way of life.
“Like I said I have to get up and run, go to the gym, hang out with my friends on the mats and learn new techniques and stuff. I’ve been doing it for longer than I haven’t been doing it so it’s going to be a hurdle when it’s all said and done and I’m really retired, but I’ll get through it.”
Max Holloway plans to spoil the party in Louisiana
The man standing across the cage from Poirier on Saturday night; Max Holloway, will have to swap his usual role as a beloved fan favorite for the heel this week. He comes to Louisiana as the defending BMF champion, and is keen to turn the trilogy around.
While his rival has an unassailable two-fight lead by now, the final fight tends to dictate how fans feel about a trilogy. And Holloway, having just lost his shot at featherweight gold to Ilia Topuria last year, is keen to right a few wrongs.
“If it’s a war he wants, it’s a war he’s going to get,” Holloway told MMA Junkie this week. “It’s going to be a bunch of knuckleheads in there. I wouldn’t want it any other way, especially with the BMF title on the line.”
