Opinion: MMA Needs More Dustin Poiriers

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UFC 318 on Saturday in New Orleans is being marketed as the retirement sendoff for Dustin Poirier—a rarity to headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view. There are several reasons for that, the most notable being that it’s rare when a regular headliner leaves while he’s near the peak of his powers. Most fade before our eyes to the point where they’re no longer worthy of carrying a card.

Fortunately, Poirier appears to not only be close enough to his peak to be worthy of this calling, but he’s also facing an opponent that viewers are interested in seeing. Sure, it’s a familiar opponent in Max Holloway, but both exemplify what the mixed martial arts fans want out of their elite fighters.

It’s unfortunate that the UFC is putting the success of the PPV squarely on the shoulders of Poirier and Holloway, as the rest of the card is subpar at best. While I’m the type of fan the UFC has hook, line and sinker, this is the kind of card that I wouldn’t recommend to someone inquiring about whether they should tune in. If the UFC isn’t going to put forth the best product, it shouldn’t be rewarded with the best response from the public. Of course, given that it’s Poirier and Holloway—especially Poirier, in this instance—there’s a part of me that would want to go back on my typical instinct.

That’s the type of admiration and respect Poirier has managed to engender from the MMA community. In a sport where the goal is to either do more damage than your opponent or make him stop, Poirier is a contradiction in that he’s a legitimately good guy. He’s a family man who’s actively engaged in building up his community, not to mention very generous with the fans. It makes it all that more impressive knowing he dropped out of school in the ninth grade due to juvenile delinquency.

Poirier has managed to headline several PPVs over his career, but he has arguably been the B-side every time. His opponents in the PPVs he has headlined have been Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev. In each case, save for Gaethje, Poirier’s opponent came in wearing an undisputed title. In Gaethje’s case, his insane penchant for violence has made him a more attractive figure towards casual fans. Oh wait, I “forgot” one other figure with whom Poirier has headlined PPVs: Conor McGregor.

There’s no doubt McGregor is the most popular figure to ever compete in MMA. Poirier was certainly the B-side in each of those contests, but the reason for separating McGregor from those other prominent names—and perhaps even superior names in terms of raw accomplishment in the cage—is that The Mystic One has managed to pop up in headlines again this week. While McGregor did proclaim he intends to fight at the planned UFC event at the White House for Independence Day in 2026, that hasn’t been the buzz about which everyone has been talking.

McGregor sent a picture of his naked self to rapper Azealia Banks, featuring his appendage wrapped around a weight. Whether Banks was merely looking to shame McGregor or up her profile—I admit I had never heard of her prior to this incident—she posted it to social media for the whole world to see. There has been zero indication of shame or apology coming from McGregor. While I certainly see the humor in the situation, it would be funnier if these types of actions were coming from a run-of-the-mill member of the roster rather than the preeminent name associated with the sport. When people less knowledgeable about MMA think about the sport, that’s who they associate it with. Throw in McGregor’s troubled legal issues, and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

While most agree McGregor would deserve a spot on the Mount Rushmore of MMA if the criteria were overall impact, the unanimous choice if the criteria were greatness would go to Jon Jones. Never having suffered a loss outside of a disqualification in a contest he was on his way to winning, Jones tends to be the first name out of the mouth of pundits when asked to name the Greatest of All-Time. Unfortunately, Jones has at least as many legal issues as McGregor does, with another major one flaring up just last month. The best and most popular fighters that the sport of MMA has to offer paint a less-than-admirable representation of the sport.

Poirier is unlikely to make any serious MMA Mount Rushmores, but he’s emblematic of everything a sport wants out of its representatives. While he’s a pillar of his community, he’s not exactly a choir boy, exhibiting enough attitude to be seen as a legitimate badass. He’s also a lot of fun in the cage; a boring fight is as common out of him as it is out of Gaethje or Oliveira. He also comes across as a man of his word. MMA retirements tend to be false starts, at least on the first occasion a fighter announces the end to his fighting career. In Poirier’s case, I haven’t heard a single person say they don’t believe he’ll be done after UFC 318.

I understand Poirier isn’t dying and that he’ll still have an association with the sport. With that said, his presence is going to be greatly diminished, and his representation will be missed. If MMA fans want the sport to grow, we need more Dustin Poiriers. We need more upstanding citizens and less of the criminal element representing the best the sport has to offer.

It’s a bit rough picking a side between Holloway and Poirier. Both manage to exude the gladiator spirit so many fighters speak of while managing to be upstanding men. It’s a good problem for the UFC to have. I only wish the UFC would have bulked up the card to give Poirier the grand sendoff he deserves. As Poirier rides into the sunset, we better hope we have more like him coming over the horizon and fewer Jon Joneses and Conor McGregors.