Dustin Poirier’s loss to Conor McGregor changed everything.
Going into his fight against the former UFC Lightweight Champion, Poirier had a solid record going with three consecutive wins since his loss to Cub Swanson. However, the 31-year-old's bout against “Notorious” didn’t last long, with McGregor scoring a knockout win over him in the first round.
During his interview with ESPN, Poirier reveals that the crushing defeat against McGregor is what changed his mindset regarding the way he approaches fights (Transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting):
“It definitely started happening after the Conor McGregor loss,” Poirier told ESPN. “That was the start of it. It’s been a long process, being a father, losing again, winning some and losing again, and winning another one. It’s just a long evolution of stop caring so much. You just stop caring about the noise and stuff that doesn’t matter. . .
“A lot of times in my younger career, I felt like it was life or death. Every comment on Instagram and Twitter, every journalist who said something, I felt like everybody was against me. I felt like if I lost I would be written off, it’s the end of my career. I’m a bum if I lose this fight. And then you lose a few times and you’re like, ‘Oh sh*t, I can still put this back together. Oh man, I’m still providing for my family. I’m still loving what I do.’ It’s like you’ve been bent but not broken a lot of times and I feel like it made me stronger and it made me the man I am today. I’m happy. I’m genuinely happy.”
Poirier is coming off a huge win over Dan Hooker last weekend; Of course, the lightweight hopes to get another opportunity at Khabib Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound belt, especially since he doesn’t plan on fighting for another five years:
“Like we were saying, I don’t know how many fights I have left,” Poirier said. “I still feel young, I still feel great, fresh, and I love what I do, but I do not want to continue for another five years, fighting fights like I just fought, because I don’t want to love this so much that it kills me. I use that word lightly. Not that I’m gonna die in there, I mean that it’s gonna take something that I can’t get back. Not only from me but for the ones that I love. I want to be there for my daughter forever. I want to be there for my wife. I don’t want to start fading away, mentally or anything like that. And I just know that’s a reality in what we do, in combat sports. I don’t beat around the bush, I know that’s a possibility and I know that what I’m doing isn’t good for myself.”
Check out the full interview where he talks about a rematch against Khabib, what his next move will be, and so much more regarding his MMA career.