Dustin Poirier has dealt with triumph far more than tragedy during his career but the sting of defeat will always hurt no matter how it happens.
At UFC 291, he suffered only the second knockout loss of his lightweight career after Justin Gaethje blasted him with a head kick in the second round that ended their main event rematch. It was a stunning and understandably upsetting result, one that Poirier could only take in stride when addressing the knockout at the post-fight press conference.
“It sucks obviously,” Poirier said. “Losing sucks but I’ve lost before. I said the same thing before, it’s not cool to be acquainted with these feelings but I’ve been here before. The career I’ve had and the fights I’ve had and where I come from, I feel like I’ve already won.
“I’m just taking it minute by minute but I’m good. If I win like a man, I’ve got to be able to lose like a man.”
Addressing his performance, Poirier noted that had a strong opening round where he tagged Gaethje with some hard shots including a combination that appeared to wobble the one-time interim lightweight champion.
Looking back on that particular moment, Poirier admits that he was trying to pace himself for a 25-minute affair with Gaethje, which led to him showing patience rather than throwing caution to the wind.
“I felt like I had a good rhythm,” Poirier said. “He was moving backwards a lot, kind of making me chase him and I didn’t want to open up too much brawling trying to get him. I had him hurt but I knew we had five rounds and I could kind of tell he was hurt but he was kind of baiting a little bit. He wasn’t all the way there, ready to be finished. He wasn’t done yet and I could see he wanted to throw that right hand. We were both dry and it was one round into the fight and I didn’t want to run into that right hand.
“We had four more [rounds] to go, if I did it to him in the first, it was going to happen again later. In my head, it was a veteran move. Maybe I should have hit the gas. I thought I had four more rounds. I didn’t know I had two more minutes. But it is what it is. Losing sucks.”
The rematch with Gaethje was promoted with the “BMF” championship on the line, but more importantly the winner almost certainly secured a future title shot in the UFC lightweight division.
That’s really what Poirier wanted more than anything so the loss now calls into question where he goes from here.
“Before this one when they offered me Beneil [Dariush], I was like nah, I’m not that excited about it,” Poirier explained. “When this one came, it got me scared and nervous because what just happened could happen. That’s what kept me waking up every morning ready to bust my ass. I knew not only the excitement of the fight, the danger of the fight that would motivate me but a win would get me [a title shot]. We’re [ranked] No. 2 and 3, and No. 1 [Charles Oliveira] already beat us and he’s fighting for the title. How much higher on the ladder can I go? A win over him I thought it would be a lock to get a title shot.
“I still feel great. I got hit with a shot I just didn’t see. Like natural instincts, I had one hand up just from years of training but the foot still got around. I haven’t seen it, I need to rewatch it. The foot got around good, it got me. I just didn’t even see it but I still could compete. I have tread on the tires. I feel great. I just did a nine week camp in south Florida and pushed myself everyday, had the easiest weight cut of my life. I busted my ass. That’s why losing sucks. You do all this work and nothing’s guaranteed.”
Deep down, Poirier says he still loves the sport, which is why it would be infinitely difficult for him to walk away but he also knows he needs the right kind of motivation to keep going.
Perhaps a trilogy with Gaethje could entice him back but Poirier was hesitant to really think about his future with a difficult loss still so fresh in his mind, although he was also quick to put it all in perspective.
“It’s the theater of the unknown out there but I keep coming back like Pookie [from New Jack City],” Poirier said. “It keeps calling me. I can’t stop. So we’ll see what happens. I might need another hit. I don’t know. I’m just taking it one day at a time, one minute at a time right now but I’m happy. My life is good. My family’s good, my daughter is excited for me to get home. We’re not at a funeral here. I’ve won. I’ve won life. I already won. Where I come from, I already won.
“What am I fighting for? I’m not fighting just to fight. I did that my whole life. My whole life I’ve done that. I don’t want to fight just to fight. I want it to be for something.”
