Dustin Poirier weighed in on his retirement talks even before his last title shot at UFC 302. After losing to Islam Makhachev, ‘The Diamond’ confirmed his retirement. But he didn’t commit to it. He left a chance to return and go out with a performance to remember. Dana White heard his request and set up UFC 318 to honor Poirier’s last dance. Talking to WDSU, the UFC head honcho said, “Throughout the world, Dustin Poirier is a big star for us. He’s accomplished a lot in the sport. This is for him, to be honest with you. This is for him.” And he proceeded to reward him with a trilogy fight against Max Holloway.

The Lafayette resident seems pretty content with this battle against ‘Blessed’ for the BMF belt. According to him, he couldn’t have gotten a better opponent for his retirement fight. On the Pat McAfee Show, Poirier said, “I was his first fight in the UFC back in 2012, and now he’s going to be my last fight in the UFC. It’s an honor.” Moreover, he’d get to hang his gloves in Louisiana – the place where Poirier’s professional MMA journey began (USA MMA 26). But the former UFC star Eddie Alvarez didn’t like the former interim lightweight champion’s retirement talks. 

During a recent conversation with Dave Schmulenson, popularly known as ‘The Schmo’, Alvarez weighed in on the trilogy fight between Holloway and Poirier. He said, “It’s really hard to lose to someone three times in a row. Max is a champion in his own, right? Dustin is as well. I just want to see a good fight. Both times they fought they were great fights.” 

Alvarez continued, “I don’t like, personally, I don’t like when a guy says I’m done, I’m retiring, and then he goes and proceeds to fight. I don’t like that. I never seen it actually go well for someone where they say they’re gonna retire, they go out there, they put on a performance of a lifetime, and they walk off in the sunset. Rarely do you see that. So, I don’t love that that’s the situation we’re going into. I’d rather Dustin been quiet about retirement and just go do his fight, and then maybe retire or something like that. But we’ll see, man. I don’t care who wins or lose that fight. I’m a fan of both of them.”

Poirier and Alvarez have shared the Octagon on two different occasions. They fought for the first time back at UFC 211. Even though the fight was high stakes, it ended in a no-contest. During a scuffle in the second round, Alvarez threw an illegal knee to a grounded Poirier’s face., which caused Herb Dean to call it off. The duo clashed once again at UFC on FOX 30, and both of them showcased their impeccable grappling skills. ‘The Diamond’ tried to catch ‘The Underground King’ with his signature guillotine choke but failed. Meanwhile, ‘The Diamond’ escaped Alvarez’s face crank. But in the end, the Louisiana native defeated Alvarez with a barrage of punches in the second round.

Eddie Alvarez wasn’t the only man to criticize Dustin Poirier’s retirement talk. After ‘The Diamond’ hinted at his retirement prior to his battle at UFC 302, Daniel Cormier claimed, “I don’t love that there’s so many references to, ‘My last chance or my last dance. I’m not committing to retirement.’ It’s like, if you have any desire to fight, you have to be so in the fight that there is no thought of what comes next. I don’t love that. I just don’t love that.” 

Cormier claimed that retirement came with a freedom from worrying about weight cuts and related obligations. According to DC, life after retirement is nothing but vacations, beaches, eating, and doing what one wants. But what does Poirier plan to do after retirement? 

What does Dustin Poirier plan to do post-retirement? 

‘The Diamond’ will retire at the age of 36, but he still wants to stay connected to the world of MMA. He hopes to keep getting the opportunity to work as an analyst for the sport. After all, he claimed that he’s got no interest in anything other than the fighting realm. That’s why speaking about MMA and staying connected to it is what’s important to him.

Talking to Mike Bohn about his life after retirement, Poirier said, “I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m good. My family’s good. I want to get out of (the sport) with my faculties and be able to speak and work the (analyst) desk, be healthy for my daughter and my future kids. I just think it’s time. After 18 years, 19 years in this sport, fighting tooth and nail, bleeding every week, I think it’s a responsible decision and respect to the sport.”

Dustin Poirier has fought 30 fights in the UFC to date. He has won 22 bouts, with wins over names like Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, and even Eddie Alvarez. His first battle against Holloway ended with a win for him via a first-round triangle armbar submission. In their second battle, Poirier won via a unanimous decision. Now, all that’s left is their third meeting.