Getty Dustin Poirier prepares for his lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira.
UFC star Dustin Poirier shared his reaction after being asked to walk away from the sport.
Louisiana bruiser Poirier was last seen in action against fan favorite Michael Chandler at UFC 281 in Nov. Chandler started strong and appeared to dominate ‘Diamond’ early in the bout. Poirier recovered quickly and dispatched ‘Iron’ Mike in the third round with a rear-naked choke submission in an action-packed classic.
Following the outing, Poirier was unsure of his future in terms of competition. While he did indicate interest in surging prospects, the 33-year-old former interim lightweight champion made it clear that he was looking for exciting fights with big-name opponents as opposed to going through a series of top-ranked contenders.
Poirier Got Asked To Consider Retirement
In an interview with Submission Radio, fourth-ranked lightweight contender Beneil Dariush asked Poirier to consider stepping away from the octagon.
“I wish he’d be a little bit more clear as to, what is it that doesn’t excite him about me?” Dariush said (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “Are my fights not exciting enough? Or is it a skill issue? Or is it just because I don’t have the name? Because if it’s just because of the name, he should really consider — and I say this as nicely as possible, I’m not trying to be a d***, but he should really consider retiring.
“Because if you’re going to look for the names, if you’re going to look to fight only guys that the name will get you, bro, there’s dogs coming. There’s dogs, and they’re young and they’re hungry. They’re looking to kill.”
Dariush believes it may be unrealistic for Poirier to wait for matchups with well-known names as he has already battled it out with them and will need to face a rising star.
“There’s guys out there already and there’s not a whole lot of Michael Chandlers left out there in the division. How many more fights like that can you get? You’re going to have to fight one of these dogs, and currently I’m at the forefront of these guys.
“So either step up or think about doing something else. He seems successful so, if you’re not genuinely — fighting is not a sport you want to be half-hearted about. So if he’s not 100 percent in, he should really reconsider what he’s doing.”
Poirier Responds to Dariush After Being Asked To Retire
On Jan. 9, Poirier took to Twitter to respond to Dariush for his retirement suggestion.
“Thanks for the advice Benny! I’ll take it into consideration. Not sure if you’re into hot sauce or not but if you are free Shipping on me!”
Poirier is one of the most popular names in mixed martial arts. He has established his status as a fan favorite known to put on blockbuster fights. In 2021, his celebrity skyrocketed after he defeated the returning former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor in a rematch and then a rubber contest.
Former 155-pound king Charles Oliveira expressed interest in competing with Poirier for a second time in hopes of getting a title shot. However, Poirier did not respond with the same zeal.