“I could’ve knocked him out. But he [Khabib] always told me to go one-two, one-two-three, then take him down,” UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev revealed in January. He had faced Dustin Poirier last year (UFC 302) and successfully defended his title for the third time after exploiting his opponent’s weakness: wrestling. Yet, he believed ‘The Diamond’ was defending well, and so, he decided to strike more. In that fight, the Dagestani recorded 156 significant strikes attempted—that’s his highest since 2015.

But in choosing to stand and strike, Makhachev ignored Khabib Nurmagomedov’s advice to keep wrestling, and that, in hindsight, could have been one of the biggest mistakes of his career. So Poirier, the Lafayette native, led the 155lbs champ into a near full five-round battle but fell victim to a devastating D’Arce choke at 2:42 in the final round. However, the fight was still a striking war, with ‘The Diamond’ landing a significant cut on Makhachev’s forehead. Now, almost a year later, coach Javier Mendez opened up about the fight.

On his YouTube channel, Javier & Mo Show, he admitted he was a fan of Poirier. “I was very shocked. The first round, I was not, because that’s what I thought was going to happen. But then the second round, when Dustin, you know, went up to another level in his effort, and Islam followed suit and just decided to trade with him, which was not what we wanted ideally—but it’s just something that Dustin created in the moment. I thought it was amazing what he did. I respected him even more.

“The first round went exactly the way I thought it was going to go. The second round went the way I didn’t want it to go. It still went our way but it still was a tough fight. So I had big respect for him before the fight, I got bigger respect after the fight.” But was the American Makhachev’s toughest fight?

Coach Mendez said, “Maybe. Maybe. Because with Volkanovski, the fifth round was the hardest fifth round he has ever had. So that one there, that last bit in that fifth round, he never took damage like he did in that round. Never… So overall, I’d have to say this [Poirier] was his toughest fight ever.” That’s hardly a surprise. Even three months ago, Javier Mendez had stated how Dustin Poirier was their ‘biggest challenge’ up until now. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Poirier has been in the spotlight for his upcoming retirement, with his MMA career drawing to a close.

The Lafayette native is just months away from his UFC 318 “last dance,” a highly anticipated trilogy fight against former 145lbs champion and BMF champion Max Holloway. ‘The Diamond’ holds a 2-0 advantage over Holloway in their previous matchups, and now, with the trilogy fight in the works, he has set his focus on Holloway once again.

Many have wondered why Poirier chose to conclude his career with Holloway rather than a third bout with Justin Gaethje. What led the Louisiana native to favor Holloway? Poirier explained, “There’s not a better guy I could think of to fight in my retirement fight. 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.” However, the UFC’s decision did not align with Poirier’s original wish list.

What was Dustin Poirier’s wish list for his UFC retirement?

Dustin Poirier initially expected to face his rival, Justin Gaethje, in what would be a trilogy fight, as the two are tied 1-1. Gaethje’s name surfaced again after his impressive victory over Rafael Fiziev in a thrilling three-round battle at UFC 313 last month. Following that, many speculated Gaethje might be Poirier’s final opponent. However, ‘The Highlight’ dismissed these rumors, stating their families didn’t deserve the violence that transpired during their previous encounters inside the Octagon.

Despite this, Poirier remained hopeful that the trilogy with Gaethje would happen. In an interview with MMA Junkie earlier this week, Poirier explained, “I was asking for Gaethje. I was asking Hunter (Campbell) and the UFC for Gaethje because we’re 1-1, and I want to close out that trilogy. For some reason, they really wanted this fight, so I said, ‘OK, that’s cool because I respect the guy for my last fight.’ I don’t know what their thought process was for putting this together with me and Max, but I have a lot of respect for him.”

However, Gaethje wasn’t the only fighter Poirier had in mind. Former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria was also on his radar, especially after Topuria vacated the belt in February to pursue a second title. Yet, UFC matchmakers had other ideas.

What’s your take on Poirier vs. Holloway? Is this the fight fans wanted, or would a Gaethje trilogy have been the better choice? Share your thoughts below.