Dustin Poirier will once again challenge for a UFC title on Saturday, this time against lightweight king Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. The “Diamond” has become one of the most beloved fighters in UFC history and there will be many rooting for him to achieve his career-long goal this weekend.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at 10 of Poirier’s greatest MMA moments on the path to being one of the UFC’s most popular fighters of all time.
10. WEC 52 – Dustin Poirier vs. Zack Micklewright
Dustin Poirier felt that his career was in jeopardy after dropping a decision to Danny Castillo in his WEC debut. Worried about being cut from the promotion with another loss, Poirier responded well to the pressure several months later against Zack Micklewright.
In what would be a precursor for many great fights to follow, Poirier led the dance with a burst of hard punches. Micklewright was quickly overwhelmed and unable to find any space to properly react before the standing TKO was called.
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9. UFC 125 – Dustin Poirier vs. Josh Grispi
Josh Grispi’s four fights in the WEC couldn’t have gone any better for him. None of his opponents survived the first three minutes, making an obvious choice to challenge Jose Aldo in the first UFC featherweight title fight. Aldo’s late injury led to a short-notice opportunity for Dustin Poirier, who despite having some buzz for his appearance in the “Fightville” documentary, was still unproven on the big stage.
“The Diamond” rose to the occasion, dominating the would-be title challenger throughout the fight, and made an immediate impact on the newly introduced division in his promotional debut.
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8. UFC 168 – Dustin Poirier vs. Diego Brandao
When Diego Brandao showed up for his UFC 168 main card opener against Poirier 7 pounds overweight, the Louisiana native wanted to make a statement. After a heated build-up, that’s exactly what he would do.
Late in the opening round, Poirier trapped Brandao against the fence where he unloaded a variety of hard punches. Mixing up targets and pushing a pace that the TUF 14 winner couldn’t handle, the stoppage was called with just six seconds remaining.
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7. UFC Fight Night 63 – Dustin Poirier vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira
As a featherweight, Poirier stood out as one of the top contenders, but ill-timed defeats prevented him from getting a chance at holding gold. After snapping a three-fight win streak with a quick knockout loss to Conor McGregor, Poirier felt that the cut to 145 pounds left him too depleted to fight up to his potential.
So, he returned to the lightweight division to face Carlos Diego Ferreira months later. Poirier won via first-round knockout, earning a performance bonus and making it clear that he made the right move.
6. UFC on Fox 29 – Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje
In what ended up playing out like a fever dream for fight fans, two of the patron saints of sanctioned violence faced one another at UFC on Fox 29. In what became the consensus fight of 2018, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje gave us a sample platter of mixed martial arts.
Forward pressure, power punches, leg kicks, with a couple of takedowns sprinkled in – it was all there for our consumption. Ultimately, “The Diamond” found the hard-fought finish early in the fourth round.
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5. UFC on Fox 30 – Dustin Poirier vs. Eddie Alvarez
The first meeting between Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez had the makings of an all-time classic. Unfortunately, a foul ended things in anticlimactic fashion and both men went their separate ways. But they picked up right where they left off in the rematch a year later.
This time Poirier would land a knee that would spell the beginning of the end for the former champion. Following up with a salvo of strikes that would make a Tekken character blush, the end was called in the second round.
4. UFC 236 – Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 2
Things changed for Max Holloway since his loss to Dustin Poirier in his UFC debut. The overmatched and inexperienced 29-year-old evolved into a dominant featherweight champion and wanted to test the waters at lightweight.
However, Poirier responded with one of his signature performances. Even though Holloway made a great showing for himself in his lightweight debut, the power differential paired with comparable volume led to Poirier getting his hand raised and earning the interim title.
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3. UFC 257 – Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 2
Nearly seven years removed from his deflating first-round KO loss to Conor McGregor, Poirier would have his chance at revenge against “The Notorious.” This time a more confident and properly prepared version of “The Diamond” would yield far better results.
With an emphasis on leg kicks and patiently countering punches, Poirier landed a barrage of punches to finish the UFC 257 main event in the second round.
2. UFC 264 – Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3
After evening the score with Conor McGregor, the Irishman decided to abandon the friendly rapport he had built with Poirier ahead of the rematch and return to his trash talking ways hoping to bait his opponent into making mistakes as he had done in their first fight.
In the perfect display for just how much Poirier had matured since then, he pushed that extra noise to the background at UFC 264. Remaining poised, he dominated his rival until a freak injury led to a premature stoppage. Even though it was the conclusion befitting Poirier’s evolution, he still showed just how far he had come.
Related: Dustin Poirier Next Fight: ‘The Diamond’ Gets His Title Shot At UFC 302
1. UFC 299 – Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Nearly a year after a head kick KO loss in a rematch with Justin Gaethje for the BMF title, Poirier returned to face the rapidly rising Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299. His apparent downward trajectory paired with the Frenchman’s clear finishing ability made this a do-or-die moment for “The Diamond.”
In a back-and-forth war worthy of its Fight of the Night award, the two traded shots and submission attempts until Saint-Denis was put down with a perfect lead hook. Poirier proved that not only is still capable of taking as much damage as he could dish out, but he also showed that he wasn’t ready to be replaced by the new generation of lightweight talent just yet.
Related: Complete UFC 302 fight card, odds, start time, and TV info
