Poirier reveals who he wanted for his farewell fight: I didn't want it to stay 1-1

The legendary combatant from Louisiana, known by his nickname "Diamond", officially closed the section of his agelong and exhausting career, which lasted a afloat 16 years. In the main combat of the UFC 318 event, the 35-year-old stepped into the octagon for the past time, opposing Max Holloway – a combatant helium had defeated doubly before.

Many fans astir the satellite hoped that his past combat would extremity successful his favor, particularly since everything took spot successful beforehand of the location audience, successful the bosom of Louisiana - successful New Orleans. However, contempt the large lawsuit and the peculiar atmosphere, 1 important item was missing from this farewell story.

Gaethje arsenic an unfulfilled wish

The large combatant revealed connected the Danza Project podcast that helium didn't truly privation the combat with Holloway. Someone other was connected his caput – aged rival Justin Gaethje.

"When I told the UFC I wanted to retire, I primitively wanted to combat Justin," admitted the seasoned Poirier.

He stressed that it was important to him to decorativeness the trilogy, arsenic they had won 1 combat each up until then. "We're 1-1. I didn't privation to extremity my vocation with it tied. I wanted to bash a 3rd fight. I wanted to enactment idiosyncratic down me. I knocked him out, helium knocked maine out... we had to enactment it out."

However, things didn't enactment retired the mode helium wanted. Gaethje already had a combat with Dan Hooker lined up, truthful the plans didn't enactment out.

"I wanted to combat him, and past I saw an interrogation wherever helium said, 'You cognize what, if Dustin's good with staying 1-1, I'm good with it. Let's shingle hands. Our families don't merit to person different head-on collision.'"

That enactment changed his position connected things.

"I ne'er thought astir it that way. And I thought, 'You cognize what? If it's good with him, it's good with me.' When you enactment it that way... idiosyncratic would get earnestly hurt. We're not kids successful this athletics anymore. We some person a batch of wars down us."

In moments erstwhile emotions tally precocious successful the ring, it's wide that sometimes adjacent a gully speaks louder than immoderate knockout.