Dustin Poirier‘s retirement battle against Max Holloway had everything you could ask for in a final chapter: a hometown crowd in New Orleans, a BMF belt on the line, and two men who have been through too many wars together to ever provide anything less than real violence. It wasn’t supposed to be a clean goodbye. It was meant to be messy, painful, and memorable. And for most of the night, it was.

However, the signature “point down and throw everything” sequence, which fans believed to be the cinematic ending, never materialized. When Max Holloway pointed down, the audience paused, but ‘The Diamond’ didn’t fully respond. Not because he was afraid, but because someone he trusted more than any coach had warned him of that very moment.

Jolie stopped Dustin Poirier from chasing Max Holloway’s final-second chaos

Dustin Poirier admitted that he knew Max Holloway would try it. The BMF champion’s calling card is the part in which fights turn into a street brawl, and everyone at home starts screaming at the television. But when ‘Blessed’ started doing it, Poirier’s mind didn’t go to highlight reels. It went to survival, and the one picture that still haunts fighters who have spent enough time in the pocket.

“Dude, I knew it was coming. But when he started pointing down, I was like, Hold on, let me check the clock.” Poirier explained in his recent appearance as a panelist for the UFC. The reason given was simple and brutally honest: ‘The Diamond’ just didn’t want a heroic ending if it meant being flatlined.

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“Don’t wait 10 seconds. I don’t want to point down with 20 seconds left. I’m thinking of Justin Gaethje lying face down.” He then revealed the true twist: Jolie Poirier had already called it. “My wife told me the night before. When he points down, don’t do it,” Poirier said, almost laughing at how perfectly she read the moment.

“She was like, you don’t point down. You don’t do it either.” And Poirier listened, because at this stage of his life, that voice matters more than pride. He still thought about it for a single second. That’s why he double-checked the clock to make sure it wasn’t stuck at 15 or 16 seconds, which was too lengthy for a reckless war.

To be honest, Max Holloway didn’t let him breathe anyway. Poirier admitted that the BMF champion was eating him in the pocket, forcing him to clinch rather than swing recklessly. ‘Blessed’ was ready for the occasion. Dustin Poirier believed he was, too, until reality hit him harder than the script. However, the fight still ended up as the exciting retirement fight fans hoped to see. And now, they might get another chance to see ‘The Diamond’ battle it out again.

Poirier is planning to un-retire for an Arman Tsarukyan grappling match

Retirement in MMA is rarely clean. Dustin Poirier walked away from UFC 318 like he’d given his all, but competition doesn’t just switch off. Now, even after the Holloway farewell, he already has a new method to scratch that itch—not in the cage, but on the mats instead.

Armand Martirosian, CEO of Hype FC, reported that Poirier is in talks to compete in a grappling bout against Arman Tsarukyan in February. And the meeting has a natural appeal: Tsarukyan is Poirier’s American Top Team stablemate, as well as one of the elite lightweight names, ‘The Diamond’ retired without ever facing.

“We had a conversation with Dustin Poirier to make a grappling match against Arman in February,” he said. And while Poirier has yet to sign a contract, the fact that the talk occurred at all says a lot. If ‘The Diamond’ returns for anything, this is the kind of safe-dangerous middle ground that makes sense: real competition, real stakes, but without the late-fight chaos that almost turned his final moments into something uglier.