Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier, who has a professional MMA record of 29 wins, 7 defeats, and 1 no-contest, is currently rated #2 in the UFC Lightweight division and #11 pound-for-pound.
Dustin Poirier celebrates beating Conor McGregor at UFC 264. (Image: Twitter)

Dustin Poirier was born on January 19, 1989. He is a trained mixed martial artist from the United States. He was formerly the UFC's Interim Lightweight Champion. He is now ranked #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings as of May 9, 2022, and he is ranked #11 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings as of October 24, 2022.

NameDustin Poirier
D.O.BJanuary 19, 1989
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight70 kg
OccupationMixed Martial Artist
Professional Debut2009
WifeJolie Poirier
NicknamesThe Diamond

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Background

Poirier is of Acadian French ancestry and especially has Cajun roots. He was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. He briefly attended Northside High School before dropping out in the ninth grade as a result of ongoing problems and street fights.

Early Career

Poirier faced Aaron Suarez in his MMA debut at USA MMA 7 in 2009. Aaron was knocked out in 79 seconds by Poirier, who then went on to win his next six fights by knocking out all of his opponents. In 2010, he then signed a contract with World Extreme Cagefighting. In his first fight for the organization, Dustin faced Danny Castillo at WEC 50 and was defeated by a unanimous decision.

After recovering from the setback, he defeated Zach Micklewright by TKO in his following match. Following the WEC and the promotion’s merger in 2010, Poirier jumped into the UFC.

UFC Career

At UFC 125, Dustin Poirier unexpectedly made his featherweight debut against Josh Grispi. Prior to face Max Holloway at UFC 143, Poirier won by unanimous decision and extended his winning streak by defeating Jason Young and Pablo Garza. Throughout the whole contest, Poirier brutalized Holloway and used a triangle armbar to finish him off in the first frame.

Poirier then faced Chan Sung Jung in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier. Both competitors engaged in a back-and-forth struggle that came to an end in the fourth round when Jung used a Brabo choke to gain a technical submission. Before regaining his momentum and embarking on a three-fight winning streak with the promotion, Poirier went 1-1 in his subsequent two fights, winning over Jonathan Brookins and losing to Cub Swanson.

At UFC 178, Dustin faced Conor McGregor. Poirier’s winning run was broken by McGregor, who also outclassed him before finishing him in under two minutes with a barrage of punches. Poirier switched back to lightweight after this defeat.

At UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson, Poirier stopped Yancy Medeiros with punches in the first round by technical knockout. He subsequently triumphed over Joseph Duffy and Bobby Green to earn a UFC card headlining bout against Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson. Poirier once again fell short in a crucial battle as Johnson punched him out in the opening frame. After battling back, Dustin outlasted Jim Miller by unanimous decision, winning the bout of the night prize. He then engaged Eddie Alvarez in a no-contest battle after Alvarez illegally kneed Poirier in the head.

After that, he went on a rampage, taking down Anthony Pettis through submission, Justin Gaethje via TKO, and Eddie Alvarez via TKO before challenging Max Holloway in a rematch for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship. To win the belt and secure a matchup with Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight championship, Poirier outworked Holloway and defeated him by a majority decision.

At UFC 242, Poirier faced Nurmagomedov. In the third round, Khabib out-grappled Poirier and submitted him with a rear-naked choke hold. After this defeat, Poirier defeated Dan Hooker in a match that was deserving of being called the fight of the year on UFC on ESPN. Poirier eventually won by unanimous decision and proceeded to face Conor McGregor again at UFC 257. In order to set up a trilogy bout, Poirier exacted revenge on McGregor by knocking him out in the second round.

At UFC 264, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor squared off for the third bout. Dustin outworked the Irishman by dominating McGregor and the Octagon. When McGregor shattered his tibia in the last seconds of the first round, the fight was over. Poirier prevailed when the doctor called an end to the bout. However, Poirier lost by submission to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 after winning at UFC 264. Then, he had his fight against Michael Chandler on UFC 281 which he won by unanimous decision.

 

Films

Year Title Role
2011 Fightville Himself

Championships and Accomplishments

  • Ultimate Fighting Championship
    Interim UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)
    Fight of the Night (Eight times) vs. Jung Chan-Sung, Akira Corassani, Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Dan Hooker, and Michael Chandler
    Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Max Holloway
    Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira, Yancy Medeiros, Eddie Alvarez, and Conor McGregor
    Forrest Griffin Community Award (2020)
    Tied (Nate Diaz, Edson Barboza & Frankie Edgar) for most Fight of the Night bonuses in UFC history (8)
    Tied (Drew Dober) for most knockouts in UFC Lightweight division history (8)
    Tied (Charles Oliveira & Rafael dos Anjos) for the fifth most wins in UFC history (21)
    Tied (Anderson Silva & Matt Brown) for the fourth most finishes in UFC history (14)
    Tied (Jim Miller) for sixth-most post-fight night bonuses in UFC history (13)
  • MMAJunkie.com
    2014 April Fight of the Month vs. Akira Corassani
    2020 June Fight of the Month vs. Dan Hooker
    2021 January Fight of the Month vs. Conor McGregor
    2022 November Fight of the Month vs. Michael Chandler
    Fight of the Year (2018) vs. Justin Gaethje
  • MMAWeekly.com
    Fight of the Year (2018) vs. Justin Gaethje
  • MMA Fighting
    Fight of the Year (2018) vs. Justin Gaethje
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter
    Fight of the Year (2012) vs. Jung Chan-Sung on May 15
    Fight of the Year (2018) vs. Justin Gaethje on April 14

MMA Records

37 matches 29 wins 7 losses
By knockout 14 2
By submission 8 3
By decision 7 2
No contests 1