Dustin Poirier is finally calling it a career. At UFC 318, he’s set to make that last walk to the Octagon in a main event bout against Max Holloway. The BMF title will be on the line, but for Poirier, it’s about more than belts, it’s about closing the curtain on a legacy built on grit, heart, and blood-soaked wars.
Over the years, Poirier racked up an impressive résumé: 10 Fight of the Night bonuses, wins over four former UFC champions, and a tie with Drew Dober for the most knockouts in UFC lightweight history. He held interim gold, but never managed to capture the undisputed title after coming up short against both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. That final detail, according to UFC veteran Matt Brown, is what keeps Poirier from entering the GOAT conversation.
“Unfortunately he didn’t win an [undisputed] title,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “When you don’t win a title, you just can’t be in a greatest of all-time conversation … he’s in the top of those conversations. Because he maximized what he had. Had he had just a little bit more athleticism, a little bit more good luck on his side, it’s a little bit of something, he would have been champion 100 percent. But it just doesn’t play out that way for everyone. There’s too many fighters and some guys get passed up.”
While Brown doesn’t see Poirier as the greatest, he has no doubts about his legacy. A UFC Hall of Fame induction is inevitable. He believes Poirier stands among the best fighters to never win an undisputed championship, a brutal category filled with warriors who gave everything but still fell short of UFC gold.
“I’d love to see him up there but we all have our journeys,” Brown added. “There’s thousands and thousands of fighters out there, they can’t all be No. 1. A lot of them are really good people but they can’t all be No. 1. That’s definitely the hold back for Dustin unfortunately.”
However, Brown made it clear, this isn’t about tearing Poirier down. It’s simply the reality of what separates the greats from the greatest.
“It’s not tearing him down, it’s just the objective truth. I mean I know the way I’m going to remember him is not necessarily as one of the greatest, definitely great. Not one of the greatest. In terms of warriors and warrior mentality, I think he is absolutely one of the greatest of all-time in that. He’s probably got to be in the top five when you talk about guys willing to fight through anything and keep coming back. I think that’s a lot of what I’m known for, and I put him above me in that regard. I think he’s one of the top five maybe in history of just warriors.”
Where Poirier thrived wasn’t in dominance, but in resilience. He didn’t steamroll his opponents, he outlasted them. He turned firefights into masterpieces of grit, and Brown respects that more than any flashy finish.
“He’s a warrior,” Brown said. “I don’t remember him really having many fights he just dominated. It was always a knockdown, drag out war and he just fought through it better than the other guy. I don’t put him up as a top five skilled guy or athleticism, we’re all born with what we’re born with unfortunately, but in terms of hard working, hard-nosed, gritty, bite down on your mouthpiece, walk forward, fight to the death guys, I mean Dustin Poirier is top three.”
That kind of toughness has carried Poirier through a career that spanned both the UFC and WEC, across two divisions, and into the hearts of fans. Brown believes Poirier belongs at the top of the list when it comes to fighters who did it all, except win the big one.
“I think he’s definitely on the top of that list for sure,” Brown said. “I put myself on that list somewhere, I like to toot my own horn but Dustin’s above me on that. I would agree on that. We’d have to think about that. Write down some names and compare resumes but he absolutely has to be at the top of the list.
“I’d also put him at the top of the list of just greatest warriors in the UFC. The whole ‘BMF’ belt, which is the stupidest thing ever, but if there’s one deserving guy of that, it’s Dustin Poirier. Just toughest guys, grittiest, hardest-working guys, Dustin Poirier’s in the top three of a lot of these conversations.”
Even though he didn’t get crowned as the undisputed king, Poirier still ruled with respect. Brown wants to see him walk away from the sport proud of what he accomplished, because he didn’t leave anything in the cage.
“I think Dustin really maximized everything he has, that he was born with,” Brown said. “I think he did a great job. When he came into the UFC, I remember after Conor [McGregor] beat him, I don’t think anybody thought Dustin Poirier was going to be shit. At that point, I remember interviews asking me what do you think about Conor McGregor? He really hasn’t fought anybody. We didn’t know what Dustin Poirier would be at that time, but I don’t think anybody looked at him like ‘wow this is the next big guy.’
“He didn’t come in with insane gifts or anything. I love and respect that so much. I hope he has an amazing life after. I hope that his life treats him well. Maybe he gets some books, speaking tours, makes a lot of money and lives a great life, and I think he’s earned every f*cking minute of it.”
As the final bell approaches, Matt Brown’s words hit the mark. Dustin Poirier may not go down as the greatest, but he’ll forever be one of the realest. And in a sport built on blood and sacrifice, that might be the highest honor of all.
