Dustin Poirier, nearing the end of his storied UFC career, has faced numerous behind-the-scenes battles over contracts and fights, including a near departure in 2019 before securing a pivotal bout with Max Holloway that kept him with the promotion.
Dustin Poirier is in the final days of his legendary UFC career, a run that could have ended years ago. It’s difficult to imagine “The Diamond” competing for a promotion other than the one he’s called home for the past 13 years.
But that’s exactly the scenario Poirier contemplated back in 2019. Poirier has long been among the UFC’s most popular fighters, which has also led to complications at the negotiating table.
According to Poirier, the business side of MMA has never been easy. That meant weighing options outside of the UFC once upon a time.
“I’ve had to fight and push back with everything I’ve ever got from the UFC,” Poirier said on The MMA Hour. “It’s been a war zone behind the scenes every contract, every fight.”
Asked what was the biggest negotiating struggle he can recall, Poirier said he requested a release before eventually landing a fight with Max Holloway for an interim lightweight title at UFC 236. “Probably when I was asking to be released, before I fought Max in 2019 in Atlanta,” Poirier said.
“I don’t remember exactly but they were offering fights that I didn’t want. I don’t know exactly but I was asking to be released then.” He ended up getting the Max fight, so it worked out.
“Yeah [I was unhappy], and the people they were offering me, where my contract was.” He doesn’t remember exactly but says that was the closest he came to being done with UFC.
Poirier confirmed that he would have walked away had the opportunity not come along. But he was grateful that he made the decision to stay when the Holloway bout was booked.
The two went on to deliver a five-round classic. Poirier defeated Holloway by unanimous decision to finally claim a UFC belt.
Though Poirier fell short of unifying titles against Khabib Nurmagomedov in his next fight, he continued facing marquee opponents. This included a recent two-fight series with Conor McGregor and bouts against Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Islam Makhachev.
In all this chaos, Poirier again made headlines for a dispute with UFC over his fight with Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299. He publicly shot down an announcement of this fight due to unsigned contracts but eventually signed them.
It wasn’t an easy process. “We battled on that one too,” said Poirier. “[Saint Denis]… I was really out of the fight.”
He canceled his wife’s flight and rebooked everything as if leaving Florida altogether. “I waited too long; I was already in camp.”
“I flew myself out; I was in camp a few weeks at the time and it just came to a head.” He thought: today’s the day.
“We fought,” Poirier concluded without elaborating further. The contracts got signed and they fought.