Dustin Poirier really is going for the fairytale ending to his career with a fight booked against Max Holloway in his home state of Louisiana at UFC 318.
But if there’s one universal rule that seems to be true for MMA, it’s that no one is ever truly retired.
While the entire pay-per-view card is being built around Poirier’s swan song, there are just too many examples worth mentioning where fighters say they’re done only to return for another fight. Jon Jones barely let the ink dry on his retirement paperwork before declaring his intention to return but Poirier’s longtime head coach Mike Brown really does believes this is the final fight for the one-time interim UFC lightweight champion.
“I think so,” Brown told MMA Fighting when asked if he truly believes Poirier is done. “You can never say never. He’s done really well for himself. He’s made a boat load of money. He doesn’t need to fight.”
Putting together a Hall of Fame career alongside a healthy bank account might be the best reasons possible for Poirier to walk away after his fight on June 19.
That said, Brown can’t fully shut the door on Poirier competing again because he knows from personal experience how fighters have a difficult time not listening so potential offers when somebody comes calling.
In Poirier’s case, Brown says it would probably have to be something truly remarkable for him to do another fight after his trilogy against Holloway ends.
“It would have to be something pretty enticing,” Brown said. “That could always happen. But I think he’s content with his accomplishments and content with the money he’s made and what he’s done. I think it is [the final fight].”
Brown has been alongside Poirier for many of his biggest accomplishments in the sport so they’ve built a unique bond between fighter and coach.
Right now the only mission at hand is beating Holloway at UFC 318 but Brown expects Poirier’s retirement to hit him like a gut punch when the fight is over.
“I don’t think emotions come in until the fight,” Brown said. “The fight comes and when the fight is ending, I think that’s when that stuff comes. I think right now it’s business as usual. Then fight night and after the fight is usually when the emotions come.”
With the UFC traveling to his home state and even the possibility that popular hip-hop star Lil’ Wayne might walk him to the Octagon on Saturday, Poirier really is receiving the grandest exit from the sport.
The real cherry on top would be Poirier winning and the third fight against Holloway gives him one last chance to pull off his favorite submission — the guillotine choke.
It’s become a long running joke in the UFC that Poirier often jumps into that submission in an attempt to finish the fight but he still hasn’t actually put anybody away with the guillotine.
Brown confesses Poirier winning with that choke at UFC 319 really would be the perfect bow on an incredible career dating back over 16 years ago.
“Everyone would be pretty happy with that I think,” Brown said about Poirier finally getting the guillotine choke submission in his retirement fight. “That would be pretty cool.
“You never know. I mean people didn’t think he was going to rear-naked [choke] [Michael] Chandler, right? Who ain’t got jiu-jitsu, right? He’s got jiu-jitsu. People sleep on it.”
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