Dustin Poirier’s 15-year career will end this weekend, and he has been going through all of the emotions.
After UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that the ‘all-time great’ deserved the special opportunity to retire in his home state.
Poirier will end his career in a trilogy fight against Max Holloway at UFC 318.
Ahead of his final appearance in the octagon, Poirier was surprised with retirement letters in a pre-fight interview with ESPN.
As The Diamond read the messages from key members of his career, he had to fight back tears.
One letter read: “My man, what a ride! 15 years flew by and we all witnessed your greatness and true character as a fighter.
“Your historic career couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person.”
After sharing some of the messages aloud, Poirier asked: “Do I have to continue?”
Before ending the session prematurely, due to the overwhelming emotion, he stated: “I wanna keep these.”
The 36-year-old is confident he can leave the scene victorious against a familiar foe.
The pair clashed for the first time when Holloway made his professional debut in 2012, resulting in Poirier’s first win over his rival.
In their second outing they clashed in the main event of UFC 236, this time with the interim lightweight title up for grabs.
It was here that Poirier extended his lead over Holloway to 2-0 via unanimous decision.
Poirier will now fight Holloway for the third and final time from Louisiana.
On the UFC 318 Countdown show, Poirier predicted how he will win his retirement fight.
He explained: “In my mind, I get his timing early, beat him to the punch.
“I hit him with shots that hurt him, make him miss, [and] make him pay by being better that night.
“He’s a great fighter, but [on] July 19th, I’m better.”
After an illustrious career it’s no surprise that Poirier received such heartfelt messages ahead of his retirement from the octagon.
He holds a joint record with Drew Dober for the most knockouts in UFC lightweight history, with nine knockout wins at 155lbs.
This includes victories over a host of star-studded names including Holloway, Conor McGregor [twice], Michael Chandler and other well-ranked talent.
UFC fans will certainly remember The Diamond fondly.