Dustin Poirier’s fighting future is a big question heading into his lightweight title fight at UFC 302, but UFC lead commentator Jon Anik believes “The Diamond” will have, at least, one more walk left in him regardless of what happens in the bout.
Poirier challenges Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound championship in the main event of the June 1 pay-per-view card in Newark, N.J. Anik, who will be on the call alongside Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan, was asked if he believes that — win or lose — Poirier could be walking to the octagon to James Brown’s The Boss for the final time.
“I don’t think so,” Anik told MMA Fighting. “I don’t know, I mean, he certainly has financial freedom — even beyond, I think, what he thought he could acquire. Hot sauce, and a couple of late career [Conor] McGregor fights, obviously, so he’s not prizefighting at this point in time. The legacy is secured.
“But I also feel like… when Ronda Rousey lost to Holly Holm, I said, ‘You’re walking into your new life when you get home.’ And for a retiring athlete, even if you don’t go out on a particularly good note or bad note, you’re walking into your new life, and Matt Brown is dealing with that very reality right now. But I just don’t know that Dustin wants to get to that expiration date just yet. I think he just enjoys making that walk — unlike a Georges St-Pierre — too much.
“So I don’t think this is going to be the final walk. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see some celebration-type tour, not unlike — and I don’t even want to invoke the name — Derek Jeter, because I prefer the athletes that retire spontaneously, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it built up for Dustin Poirier’s final fight, whenever that may be.”
Poirier earned his opportunity to fight for the title when he knocked out Benoit Saint Denis in the second round at UFC 299 in March. The former interim lightweight champion is less than a year removed from a head kick knockout loss to Justin Gaethje for the “BMF” title at UFC 291 this past July, but momentum and availability has put him in position to author one of the most remarkable stories in UFC history — especially considering that he’s facing Makhachev, the No. 1 Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world.
“Michael Bisping would’ve been a UFC Hall of Famer whether or not he knocked out Luke Rockhold on that fateful night [at UFC 199], and the same thing applies to Dustin Poirier,” Anik explained. “Going into the Benoit Saint Denis fight, I said that if there is any legacy on paper right now in the UFC that really doesn’t need an undisputed championship, it’s Dustin Poirier’s legacy. So, yeah, he’s fighting for that ultimate capstone, and I guess, maybe, he’s fighting for all-time-great status, if not Mount Rushmore status.
“But it’s just been an incredible run from the Fightville documentary, from all of his avid fans that he’s rewarded over the years. … I just like the timing of the fight for Poirier, I like the quick turn, I like the confidence accrued from the Benoit Saint Denis fight, I like the fact that the fight is in the time zone in which he resides. … I can see why people see Dustin Poirier as a live underdog and like him in this particular spot.
“But my goodness, man. Even just going back and watching film on Islam Makhachev, I’m just like, ‘Man, look at this guy. Just look at this guy — in every realm of mixed martial arts.’ And then just the physical aesthetic at the beginning of the fight, he’s an absolute monster … and I think it’s going to take Dustin’s best, and he’s certainly capable of that.”
