When most fans think of Dustin Poirier, the first thing that comes to mind is often highlight-reel moments inside the Octagon.
What fans don’t see, however, is, as the former interim champ puts it, “the stuff that comes along with the hustling.”
Ahead of his final fight, Poirier opened up on the cost of being a fighter during an appearance on The Danza Project this week:
“Fans only see, for the most part, that 25 minutes in the ring, maybe a post-fight interview. You don’t see all that comes along with the day-to-day grind. Being away from my family, the bumps and bruises, the surgeries, the ups and downs. All the stuff that comes along with the hustling. ”
“My wife sees both sides of it, … and she’s ready for me to come home.”
The former interim champ has quite literally grown up inside of the Octagon.
Back in 2011, at the age of 21, Dustin Poirier, who had fought under the WEC banner twice before the Zuffa acquisition, made his UFC debut.
Over the next 14 years, Poirier would fight a who’s who of all-time greats, cementing himself as one of the most exciting fighters in UFC history.
Dustin Poirier Cites Wins Over Gaethje and Hooker As Toughest Fights
Throughout his career, Dustin Poirier has fought some of the biggest names in the UFC’s 145 & 155 pound divisions while putting together a legendary highlight reel.
As a 10-time Fight of the Night winner, Poirier has notably been involved in a number of wars throughout his career, and while he feels as though at this level every fight is tough, he cited his first bout with Justin Gaethje and his 2020 win over Dan Hooker as two of the toughest while speaking on The Danza Project.
“When you ask that question, what comes to mind is me and Gaethje. Our first fight was a war. And me and Dan Hooker during COVID that was a war. That was a battle. Those guys are tough.”
While Poirier’s fight with Max Holloway this weekend will close out the pair’s trilogy, the former interim champ’s trilogy against Justin Gaethje will remain even at 1-1.
Following Poirier’s win in 2018, Gaethje avenged the loss in 2023 at UFC 291. Because of that, The Diamond initially wanted to throw down with The Highlight for his farewell fight before the UFC pushed for Holloway.
Looking at the Latest Holloway vs. Poirier Betting Odds
With just days to go until UFC 318, fight fans are seemingly torn on how things will play out in Saturday’s main event.
Currently, on most major US-based sportsbooks, Max Holloway is sitting as a slight betting favorite, as seen below:
Note: Odds current as of time of publication.
DraftKings
- Holloway: -135
- Poirier: +114
FanDuel
- Max Holloway: -142
- Dustin Poirier: +112
Bovada
- Max Holloway: -133
- Dustin Poirier: +112
The last time Poirier fought Holloway, back in 2019 when the two collided for the interim lightweight title, he closed as a -210 favorite according to FightOdds.io, while on the flip side Holloway closed as a +190 underdog.
Given that Poirier’s currently 2-0 against Holloway, it’ll be interesting to see if the betting lines shift as we get closer to fight night.
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