Dustin Poirier can become UFC lightweight champion again! But what is his story?

Dustin Poirier recently defeated Conor McGregor for the second straight time. Admittedly only due to an injury to the Irish fighter, he was clearly the better fighter in the bout and experts agree that he would have finished the fight with a win. Now, a title fight awaits him. But what is his life story?

While there are some likable fighters in the UFC, Dustin Poirier is definitely one of those who should be among the most popular. He conducts himself fairly, has an exemplary personality and is a tremendous professional.

Proof of his great personality is the fact that he has his own charity organization, the Good Fight Foundation, through which he provides help to those in need.

In the past, he was already the interim UFC lightweight champion, but he quickly lost the belt. He recently turned down a title fight offer, not liking the idea of Michael Chandler fighting for the title after only one win in the organization.

His place was taken by Charles Oliveira, who now holds the belt. And it is with him that Poirier should already be fighting for the title. It’s more or less 100% certain. We’re just waiting for the date of the fight.

But what kind of journey has Poirier had?

If you find the name Dustin Poirier a bit French, there’s a reason for that. His parents are from France. But the UFC fighter himself was born in America and has never been a permanent resident on European soil.

He was born on January 19, 1989 in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he also lives to this day with his wife and daughter. Only when preparing for a match does he temporarily move to Florida, where he trains with the American Top Team.

Even in school, Dustin had behavioural problems. Although few would say it today, he was a street bully and was expelled from school in the ninth grade because of his repeated troubles.

So, he got his practice at a young age. However, he did not make his professional debut until 2009, when he was 20 years old. Within two years, he entered the UFC with an 8-1 record. He currently has 35 professional fights under his belt with a perfect record of 28-6.

As far as his fighting style is concerned, he is a very complex fighter. Poirier holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but he is also a great stand-up fighter. He has excellent boxing and kicks. He’s dangerous in virtually every way.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the most dominant fighter in UFC history, knows this. Poirier almost managed to choke him out. To this day, no one understands how the Dagestani got out of the choke. What’s more? Seconds later, he choked out Poirier himself and won a title he would never relinquish.

The Louisiana native lost his title. He managed to win it and lose it in 2019. He beat Max Holloway in the interim title fight, but was beaten by Khabib three months later.

Poirier has beaten great fighters in his career, whether it be Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, or Max Holloway. In short, he has proven that he is one of the world’s top fighters and doesn’t deserve to be overlooked or ignored.

He’s even beaten McGregor twice already this year. The first time in the second round via KO, the second time the fight had to be stopped by a doctor because the Irishman broke his leg.

Poirier, however, proved in both fights that he is a top fighter. He probably could have beaten McGregor in the second fight even if the Irishman hadn’t gotten hurt. He dominated the entire first round and did a great job.

He’ll probably go into his fight with Charles Oliveira as the favorite. Definitely something to look forward to! Oliveira is a great ground and pound and he’s entertaining the fans with his BJJ. It’s sure to be an attractive fight.

Sources: FightLive, MMA Fighting, The Famous People