UFC 318 officially marked the end of Dustin Poirier’s MMA career. While many wanted him to wear the BMF belt and defeat Max Holloway in the trilogy fight, ‘The Diamond’ ended his career as an uncrowned champion. He delivered an epic battle just like he promised. Leaving the Octagon as a fighter for the last time, he had only one thing on his mind. And that was his desire to work as a desk analyst. Now, it seems like ESPN has responded to the Lafayette resident about his post-retirement gig. 

After a trailer of retirement at UFC 302, Poirier finally hung up his gloves for good following his loss to Max Holloway at UFC 318. But he revealed his retirement plans even before he fought ‘Blessed’. During the media day for UFC 318, Poirier pleaded, “When I lay these gloves down Saturday night, I’m gonna be in front of the TV every fight. Hopefully, ESPN brings me back and I can continue to talk about the sport that changed my life and taught me so much.”

Now, after almost two weeks of his retirement fight, Poirier took to X and shared the good news. He wrote, “Looking forward to getting back on the ESPN desk going to start focusing on that now.” Yep, this means that we’ll soon get to see the Cajun star, all suited up, in his role as a desk analyst. His retirement was as emotional as it could get, and the fighting community is now looking forward to seeing him in his new role. 

Of course, this won’t be the first time we’ll see Poirier as a desk analyst. He made his debut as a desk analyst back in April 2023, where he sat alongside Michael Eaves and Din Thomas for the analysis of UFC 287. At UFC 303, ‘The Diamond’ returned to his desk job as a studio PPV analyst for ESPN, and appeared across UFC Live, Pre-Show, and SportsCenter segments. His third desk analyst gig was at UFC 308, where he worked with Teddy Atlas, Chael Sonnen, and Brendan Fitzgerald. The last time we saw him in the role was at UFC 314. 

Remember when Michael Chandler stated, “Should be… fun,” reacting to Poirier’s UFC 314 desk analyst role? We can certainly assure that ‘The Diamond’s upcoming roles behind the desk would be filled with interesting insights. But for now, let’s avert our attention toward Poirier’s retirement message. 

Dustin Poirier shares an emotional message following his retirement

Taking to Instagram after the events of UFC 318, Dustin Poirier expressed his gratitude for his MMA career. He stated, “Thank you for allowing a kid to chase a dream. Thank you for the lessons. Thank you for the heartbreak. Thank you for a platform to raise others up. When I started I wanted to find out how good of a fighter I can be, and I found out.”

Poirier engaged in some of the most exciting fights in the past 14 years. He defeated intimidating opponents like Conor McGregor and Benoit Saint-Denis. He even fought the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov and his protege, Islam Makhachev, for the lightweight belt. Unfortunately, Poirier was never able to become the undisputed champion of the division. Yet, he managed to learn, evolve, and entertain the fighting community. 

He continued, “Thank you for allowing a kid to chase a dream. Thank you for the lessons. Thank you for the heartbreak. Thank you for a platform to raise others up. When I started I wanted to find out how good of a fighter I can be, and I found out.” And in the end, he signed out like a legend.

What do you think of Poirier’s retirement gig? Do you think he can stay relevant as a desk analyst? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.