A diamond is formed under extreme pressure and high temperatures over a long time. News flash, we’re not talking about diamonds at all. We’re talking about the thrill and agony so many fighters have to overcome to become elite fighters. We see a five-round slugfest inside the cage with hollering crowds, massive KOs, and glittering lights. But that 25 minutes takes decades of hard work and sacrifice. And when we’re talking about diamonds being formed under pressure, nowhere is this more true than for ‘The Diamond’ Dustin Poirier, who knows full well what it’s like behind the scenes.

Poirier is one among many other fighters like Francis Ngannou, Alex Pereira, Leon Edwards, and more who have faced immense hurdles to get to where they are today. And now that ‘The Diamond’ is about to retire at 36 years old, he put out a reminder of the sacrifice it takes to be a fighter in the world’s premier MMA promotion.

The Louisiana recently uploaded an Instagram post with a simple one-liner. Below a black and white picture of his close-up bloodied face inside the Octagon was a caption that encompassed what MMA is. It read, “Don’t forget these dreams come with nightmares. #PaidInFull”.

Poirier did not have it easy at all. His simmering anger manifested at age 5 after his parents got divorced. As a high school teenager, he was always getting into fights and even found himself at the juvenile detention center. However, things started to take a turn when he discovered boxing at 18 and he eventually found MMA.

Dustin Poirier has amassed amazing feats with 16 knockout wins and 7 wins by submission. He was even the interim UFC lightweight champion even though he could realize his dream of becoming the undisputed champ. Nevertheless, his last dance in the Octagon is going to be a big celebration for sure.

Dana White’s plans for Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight

If all goes well, ‘The Diamond’ will get his wish of fighting in New Orleans and coming full circle by closing the chapter in the place where he had started. The Louisianan native had last fought Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 and lost the bout. Since then he has been vocal about his desire to retire with one more fight.

Better even, Poirier’s last fight might be against Max Holloway. “My understanding is that Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway are going to fight. At least that’s what I’m hearing.” This is what 155lbs veteran benefit Dariush stated to Submission Radio.

Even Josh Thomson spoke about the trilogy fight possibility against Holloway. He said, “So, I mean, if you’re looking for a fight to give it like a last hurrah farewell, you know they’re going to stand, they’re going to trade. Dustin doesn’t have to worry about him trying to hit submissions and take him down. Like, it’s gonna be a knockdown, drag-out. I think the main thing to take away from this though, John, is the UFC is doing him a solid.”

Max Holloway is definitely looking for redemption after his KO loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. The former 145lbs champ clashed against Poirier twice. The first time was at UFC 143 where ‘The Diamond’ submitted Holloway. Then came the 2019 UFC 236 fight for the interim lightweight title where Poirier beat ‘Blessed’ over five rounds.

You can bet that fans won’t mind a trilogy bout between the two. So now that Dustin Poirier will sign off soon, what do you think about his career? Share your thoughts in the comments.