Dustin Poirier found himself at a crossroads. Before stepping into the octagon at UFC 299 to face Benoit St. Denis, he had some serious soul-searching to do.
Oh, and speaking of St. Denis, that guy had been on a tear. After demolishing Matt Frevola with a head kick that had everyone talking, he set his sights on Poirier. Initially, Poirier shrugged off the challenge. But, surprise, surprise, the UFC had other plans.
Poirier, a bona fide MMA superstar, had to ponder. Why take on a rising star with everything to prove? Sure, he almost instinctively knew he’d say yes. But the motivation? That was the puzzle he needed to solve.
“I was more surprised when they offered it to me,” he admitted to ESPN. He’d expected a different kind of opponent. Maybe a legend or a former champ. Yet here he was, facing a newcomer with a spark in his eyes. “Why am I doing this?” he asked himself. Not for the money, surely. There had to be more.
And there was. It was about testing his mettle. With thirty UFC fights under his belt, Poirier wanted to see if he could still hang with the hungry young lions of the sport. “Let’s see what happens,” he thought. It was a chance to prove to himself that he still had that fire.
Despite being a top contender at 155 pounds, Poirier has never clinched the undisputed title. Yet, he’s not chasing glory this time. He’s focused on the here and now, fully aware that his time in the sport is winding down.
“I know it’s coming. I can’t do this forever,” he confessed. At 35, with a career spanning over 15 years and counting, Poirier is mindful of the toll the sport takes. Every fight chips away at him, leaving behind scars that tell tales of battles fought.
But more than anything, Poirier knows he can’t let his love for the sport overshadow his responsibilities to his family. “I can’t love something so much that it takes away from what’s most important,” he said. Fighting is a part of who he is, but it’s not everything.