Dustin Poirier’s Best 5 UFC Fights: Looking Back After His Retirement

UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier was a bona fide legend and a true warrior of the game. Poirier has now hung up and has wanted to continue his post-fight duties as an ESPN desk analyst. ‘Diamond’ wants to venture into play-by-play broadcasting as well. Here are Dustin Poirier’s best 5 UFC fights that have made him the hallmark of barnburners through the years. He has had 40 pro MMA fights, and only 9 have gone to the cards.

Even at the late stage of his career, Poirier was ranked in the lightweight athletes’ listings for the last 9 years. The Louisiana lightweight never won the undisputed gold, but Poirier faced the who’s who of top names like Conor McGregor, Islam Makhachev, and others. Afer a late-game KO over the berserker Benoit Saint-Denis, UFC boss Dana White even stamped a ‘legend’ tag on him. Here is a brief look at his best scraps.

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#5 Poirier Vs. Brookins: TUF 16 Finale – 2012

Dustin Poirier might have bagged 5-6 finishes and 15 post-fight incentives, but his domination started early. In a commanding performance, Poirier dominated Brookins, maneuvering him around the octagon and delivering powerful blows. In the initial frame, Poirier successfully executed a first-round submission, the d’Arce, on an injured Brookins, forcing him to exit the match prematurely.

While a predominant boxer in UFC competition, Diamond had 16-3 T(KO)/7-4 submission stats. He also foiled Max Holloway’s debut in their first outing of their decorated trilogy vis submission.

#4 UFC Fight Night Poirier Vs. Gaethje: UFC Glendale – 2018

When he dominated Anthony Pettis, Poirier wanted some attention and a fresh face for his next one. UFC Matchmakers/Execs obliged and gave him another similarly touted standup artist and lightweight, Justin Gaethje. While he knows it sufficiently, Gaethje doesn’t engage in much wrestling/anti-wrestling, in favor of a pure strikefest.

Thus came a headliner in Glendale, Arizona, that makes its case to be Dustin Poirier’s best 5 UFC fights. It was a back-and-forth barnburner between the lightweights; Poirier was able to weather much of it with technical standup, good slipping, and his durability. At the tail end, R4, he was able to hunt and impact the Human ‘Highlight’ with a big counter left. Poirier let on a barrage of hits to end the matter and cement himself as a big, top contender.

His scrapper against Dan Hooker went similarly and is possibly one of the best APEX Fights. The only reason this one surpasses that fight, which would possibly be #6 in a top-10, is because how he finished Gaethe.

#3 Poirier Vs. McGregor 2: UFC 257 – 2021

Poirier has had tough ones; Poirier has had comfort victories as well and even bagged the UFC interim lightweight hardware at Poirier Vs. Holloway 2: UFC 236 after swarming the competition in a long stretch. But his rivalry with McGregor, which gradually grew sourer and sourer, is a robust one.

The Team ATT standout slumped one to McGregor via first-round finish at their initial encounter at UFC 178. ‘The Notorious’ had returned with further plans for undisputed gold and even more crossover boxing in his immediate future. Thus, the Cumblin Boxing Club striker looked past Poirier, having already finished him once.

But the rival took his biggest short punches and combos, and showed that he belonged. Poirier answered McGregor’s range-check striking and even inserted his pockets of success, with lead hands. He even took control early on with TD and kept the pressure with sharp hands. and then slicers. What followed was a second-round finish, 2:32 mark, where he slept McGregor, fenceside.

It wasn’t just one of Dustin Poirier’s best 5 UFC fights. It was arguably his best (comeback) win and domination over yet another champ after Holloway and Poirier Vs. Alvarez 2: UFC Calgary. McGregor had a global report as a style striker, and he thwarted it. At the end, 1 a piece, both he and McGregor verbally agreed to run it a third time, and the rest, as they say, is history.

#2 Poirier Vs. Chandler: UFC 281 – 2022

This one isn’t just some top-notch Dustin Poirier best 5 UFC hard brawl. This one, the promotion’s YT Channel (@UFC) has had this up as some of the best, explosive beginning rounds in competition. Michael Chandler, Bellator transfer and quite the brand face, had all the backing as a violent wrestler/striker.

Chandler even hurt Poirier early in their grudge match at MSG. The two went at it down the whole stretch of the octagon with range-striking. That is, until Poirier narrowed his range and started headhunting. He took Chandler to the ground and scrambled with Chandler hard, later in the fight. He took Chandler’s back to sink in a third-round rear-naked choke to win.

#1 Makhachev vs. Poirier: UFC 302 – 2024

Poirier had quite a win at UFC 299, which he thought would be his swan song. But, before his last fight and trilogy set at UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 PPV main event, Poirier tried one last bid at the lightweight undisputed gold last summer. Some 13 months on, it remains on Dustin Poirier’s best 5 UFC fights.

Not all wins come in the form of a ‘W’ on the scorecards. This was a glorious performance from Poirier against the promotion’s longtime #1 pound-for-pound fighter. This was one of Poirier’s best MMA performances. He had sufficient anti-wrestling and up until R5, he had his success. In short bursts, he even outstruck Makhachev for a while and grazed him.

This was a five-round affair (-2:42) that proved why Porier was one of the best to do it at the highest echelon in MMA, even without undisputed gold.