Only a handful of fighters can claim to be as widely beloved as Dustin Poirier; meaning it’ll be a tragic day when ‘The Diamond’ eventually hangs up his gloves for good.
Luckily, the previous interim lightweight champion and celebrated ‘Diamond of Louisiana’ has repeatedly teased that he’ll have yet another epic fight within the UFC before calling it quits.
As fans proceed to invest on who Dustin Poirier’s final opponent might be, ‘The Last Stylebender’ has now shared a touching message to the person whom he once claimed UFC championship gold alongside.
Israel Adesanya sends touching tribute to Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier
‘The Last Stylebender’ won the interim middleweight title on the identical night that Dustin Poirier claimed interim lightweight gold – a shared achievement that Israel Adesanya still holds near and dear to at the present time.
Earlier this week, a fan-made video of Dustin Poirier’s best UFC moments was shared on X in response to a thread that asked users to define ‘what it meant to be a legend’.
“Fought 8 Former Champions. Has most FOTN’s in UFC History. Has 15 finishes within the UFC. Never lost 2 fights in a row. Been within the UFC for 14 Conservative Years. Only man to fight each Khabib and Islam. Only man to KO McGregor… That is THE definition of a LEGEND.”
That hype video eventually caught the eye of Israel Adesanya, who responded by sending a touching message to Poirier about that famous night in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Every time I said UFC 243 was my first title defense, some get salty. I consider my “Interim” title win a title win, any fight after that is taken into account a title defense and a unification. Two things will be true at the identical time.
“Dustin Poirier and I won our belts on the identical night! “Undisputed” or not he was the champion, y’all can’t take that away from him. Head high my guy, let’s strive!”
A poignant message from one UFC icon to a different – and the broader MMA community couldn’t agree more with Adesanya’s remarks.
Lots of the comments underneath his message read to the tune of “Well said,” “Greatness recognizes greatness,” and “Legends supporting one other legend, like to see it.”
Dustin Poirier wants a homecoming send-off for his final UFC fight
Whilst we still don’t know when Dustin Poirier’s final UFC fight will arrive, ‘The Diamond’ has revealed that he’s been pushing for a homecoming send-off in Recent Orleans.
“I’ve actually been having calls every week with the UFC,” Poirier told The Schmo earlier this month: “However it’s looking like summer in Recent Orleans is near happening for my retirement fight.
“A pay-per-view in Recent Orleans this summer could be incredible. That’s what I’m pushing forward. That’s what the UFC’s working towards, and things are getting pretty close. Lay down the gloves where it began in Louisiana, it could be an honor for me.”
Poirier recently shut down rumors that his retirement bout could be against Paddy Pimblett, refuting the speculation as his final fight can be “legends only.”
“That’s an interesting fight but not for my retirement fight, you already know, it’s legends only man,” he stated in an interview with Jim Rome.
“I’m done, man. I even have 50-something cage fights. Like I said, I still have something to offer, there’s a number of opportunities and a few big fights that will be made but I’ve just been doing it so long and I’m in a spot with my other ventures where I need to be home in a daily routine.
“I’ve given this sport lots and I believe I’ve given it enough,” he rightly acknowledged.
