Dustin Poirier: Everything you need to know about the UFC Star

LockerRoom Team

30 Jun 2021

Dustin Poirier is hands down one of the top names in the UFC at the moment. Here is everything you need to know about the UFC star.

The start of his MMA career

The Professional MMA career of Dustin Poirier started back in 2009 when he fought Aaron Suarez at USA MMA 7. It was a first-round KO win for Dustin in that fight. A month later, he had his second MMA fight against Nate Jolly. This time around, Dustin won via submission in the second round.

He went on to secure five more wins to build up a record of 7-0 to his name by mid-2010. He entered WEC with the record and suffered the first defeat of his career against Danny Castillo. Poirier bounced back strongly in the next fight and went home with a TKO win over Zach Micklewright.

Dustin Poirier in the UFC

World Extreme Cagefighting and the Ultimate Fighting Championship united in October 2010. All WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC as part of the merger.

At UFC 125, newly crowned UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo was expected to defend his title against No. 1 contender Josh Grispi, following the UFC/WEC merger. On November 23, 2010, Aldo had to withdraw from the fight due to a back ailment. On January 1, 2011, Poirier agreed to fill in for Grispi at the event. Poirier was declared the winner by a unanimous decision.

Poirier was set to fight Rani Yahya at UFC 131 on June 11, 2011. However, Yahya was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injury, and he was replaced by Jason Young, a promotional novice. After three rounds, Poirier won a unanimous decision against Young.

On November 12, 2011, Poirier fought Pablo Garza at UFC on Fox 1. Poirier won via D'arce choke in the second round.

Poirier was supposed to fight Erik Koch at UFC 143 on February 4, 2012. Koch, however, was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injury and was replaced by Ricardo Lamas. Then, just two weeks later, due to an injury, Lamas had to withdraw from the fight, leaving Poirier without an opponent once more.

A week later, Max Holloway agreed to fight Poirier in his place. Poirier used a triangle-armbar from the mount position to defeat Holloway in the opening round, earning a Submission of the Night bonus.

Fight of the Night with The Korean Zombie

On May 15, 2012, Poirier fought Chan Sung Jung in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier. This was Poirier's first appearance in the main event. In the fourth round, Jung submitted Poirier with the D'arce Choke.

Both fighters were awarded Fight of the Night for their efforts. At the end of the year, various magazines named the fight Fight of the Year.

On December 15, 2012, Poirier defeated Jonathan Brookins via D'arce Choke in the Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale.

Poirier returned to action quickly, fighting for the second time in 63 days as a replacement for an injured Dennis Siver. On February 16, 2013, Poirier fought Cub Swanson in the co-main event of UFC on Fuel TV: Baro vs. McDonald.

Both boxers landed punches that appeared to harm the other during the fight. Poirier earned double leg takedowns and leg kicks. Swanson replied with a barrage of head kicks and attempts at submission. Poirier was declared the winner by unanimous judgment (29–28, 30–27, 30–27).

On August 31, 2013, Poirier fought Erik Koch at UFC 164. Poirier used punches to damage Koch throughout the fight, putting him out with a punch near the conclusion of round 1 and nearly finishing the fight; he won the fight by unanimous decision. Poirier wanted a rematch with Cub Swanson after his victory. Swanson must "be a guy," he told reporter Ariel Helwani.

On December 28, 2013, Poirier fought Diego Brando at UFC 168. In the first round, he knocked out his opponent.

At The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale, Poirier faced Akira Corassani. He won the bout in the second round by TKO. Poirier received his second Fight of the Night bonus for the victory.

Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 1

On September 27, 2014, Poirier fought Conor McGregor at UFC 178. He was knocked out in the first round by TKO. Poirier had never been halted by strikes before.

"I always regarded it as a plus," Poirier said after the fight, "but the Conor McGregor fight was the turning moment," I recall seeing him backstage as I was getting ready to walk out, and he flashed me a smile and pointed at me. I'm not sure why, but it really affected me, guy. It screwed with my head a lot.

Poirier moved up a weight class to the Lightweight category after the loss. Weight cutbacks, according to Poirier, are distracting him from training. He also stated that he will never return to the featherweight division or move up to the welterweight division. In an interview, Poirier stated, "This is the division (lightweight) where I'm going to win the belt."

On April 4, 2015, Poirier fought Carlos Diego Ferreira in a lightweight event at UFC Fight Night 63. In the first round, he knocked out his opponent. Poirier also received his first Performance of the Night bonus and a disclosed pay of $118,000, which was his highest disclosed pay at the time.

On June 6, 2015, Poirier fought Yancy Medeiros at UFC Fight Night 68. After down Medeiros twice with punches, he won the bout via TKO in the first round. Poirier received his second Performance of the Night bonus award as a result of his victory.

Poirier was supposed to fight Joseph Duffy at UFC Fight Night 76 on October 24, 2015. Duffy, on the other hand, pulled out of the bout three days before the event, after suffering a concussion during a sparring session.

As a result, the fight was rescheduled until January 2, 2016, at UFC 195. Poirier was declared the winner after a unanimous decision. Poirier was taken to the hospital after the fight with a broken nose. Due to the injury, he had to take a six-week break.

Dustin Poirier vs. Eddie Alvarez

Following his suspension, Poirier faced Eddie Alvarez at UFC 211 on May 13, 2017. Poirier dropped Alvarez in the second round after Alvarez landed two illegal knees into the fence when Poirier was against the fence. Referee Herb Dean pronounced the bout a No Contest because the Texas commission was not working under the new unified rules at the time, and he did not believe Alvarez recognized Poirier was a grounded opponent.

On November 11, 2017, Poirier fought Anthony Pettis at UFC Fight Night 120. When Poirier executed a body triangle in the third round, Pettis tapped out due to a broken rib, and he won the bout by TKO. He also received the Fight of the Night bonus award for this fight.

Poirier signed a new contract with UFC after the Pettis fight, despite the fact that he had three fights left on his prior contract. Poirier fought Justin Gaethje at UFC on Fox 29 on April 14, 2018. He won the bout in the fourth round by TKO. He received the Fight of the Night bonus award for this fight.

On July 28, 2018, Poirier fought Eddie Alvarez in a rematch in the main event of UFC on Fox 30. He won the bout in the second round by TKO. This victory earned him the award for Best Performance of the Night.

Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz

On August 3, 2018, it was revealed that Poirier had agreed to face Nate Diaz in Madison Square Garden on November 3, 2018. The fight was supposed to be the co-main event of UFC 230. However, on October 10, 2018, it was revealed that Poirier had pulled out due to a hip injury, and the fight had been cancelled as a result.

Interim Title and Dustin Poirier vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

On April 13, 2019, at UFC 236 in Las Vegas, Poirier faced UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway for the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship. He won the back-and-forth battle by unanimous decision, snapping Holloway's thirteen-fight winning streak. This bout won him his fourth consecutive performance bonus and the Fight of the Night award.

Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker

On June 27, 2020, Poirier fought Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. He was declared the winner of the thrilling back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision. He won his seventh Fight of the Night award for this fight. The fight was largely regarded as one of the best of the year, and it was a strong contender for numerous trophies.

Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor II and III

Poirier fought Conor McGregor in a rematch of their 2014 fight at UFC 257 on January 24, 2021, as the first fight of his new deal. He won the fight in the second round by technical knockout, becoming the first person to knock out McGregor. This victory earned him the award for Best Performance of the Night.

On July 10, 2021, at UFC 264, Poirier and McGregor fought for the third time and Dustin emerged as the winner after securing a stoppage win. The win came as a result of Conor not being able to continue after breaking his leg at the end of the first-round.

His MMA record

Poirier currently holds a professional record of 27-6 to his name.

Dustin Poirier Wife

Poirier's wife's name is Jolie. Parker Noelle Poirier, the couple's first child, was born on August 20, 2016.

Dustin Poirier Height, weight, and age

Dustin Poirier is 5 ft 9 inches tall (175.28 cm) and currently fights at Lightweight which is at 155 lbs. He was born on 19 January 1989.

Dustin Poirier Hot Sauce

Poirier announced the launch of his brand new cajun hot sauce brand 'Poirier's Louisiana Style' in conjunction with a Canadian firm, Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co., on Twitter on December 8, 2020. It costs $12 and can be ordered at Poirier's official website.

Personal background

Poirier was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, on January 19, 1989, and is of Acadian French ethnicity, specifically Cajun. He only attended Northside High School for a brief period before dropping out in the ninth grade due to a history of misbehavior and street fights.

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