“This is for Him…” Niche Product-Maker Dana White Boasts UFC 318 Retirement Fight Tailored for Dustin Poirier

Need a "swan song" for Dustin Poirier? Boss Dana White waxes lyrical in his praise of "Diamond;" says UFC 318 PPV was meant for him.

“This is for Him…” Niche Product-Maker Dana White Boasts UFC 318 Retirement Fight Tailored for Dustin Poirier

UFC 318 build around Dustin Poirier, per CEO Dana White (Source: X/IMAGO)

What do the fans, pundits, oddsmakers, and others know of making and shaping the fight business? Absolutely dud, per UFC CEO Dana White. It’s a “eat what you kill paradigm,” where stuff that needs to be done gets done. Often boasting to turn niche products and premier combat sports cultures into blockbuster elements, White has said the UFC 318 PPV was specifically tailored for Dustin Poirier.

Dustin Poirier saved his one ‘last dance’ and war for the best one: a “BMF” 155-pound PPV title booking versus the gritty Max Holloway. They lock horns at the UFC 318 PPV main event, July 19th, at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Louisiana State Boxing & Wrestling Commission arraigned a meeting last September with UFC execs to make such a booking possible.

Poirier last competed in his hometown in 2015, when he defeated Yancy Medeiros, another Hawaiian. So, even when it wasn’t final that it would be a Holloway trilogy and a BMF fight, Dana White knew the Lafayette, Louisiana lightweight had to have it in front of a home crowd, and he made it possible.

Listen, I like to take the UFC to places that are a destination, …[Like] where people like to go, great hotels, lots of other things to do, restaurants, shopping. And New Orleans is one of the absolute best so it’s good to be back…Throughout the world Dustin Poirier is a big star for us, he’s accomplished a lot in the sport and this is for him, to be honest with you, this is for him. He wanted to have his last fight and end his career in New Orleans so here we are.

Dana White to Southeast Louisiana’s WDSU Sports Segment for WDSU News (@WDSU): UFC 318 PREVIEW in New Orleans

Dana White touted that the #5-ranked UFC 155-pounder has gone through a who’s who of top crops like Benoit Saint-Denis, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, and Charles Oliveira in his last few. Poirier has also ranked within the top 10 for a very long time. So, despite another failed PPV title bid to Islam Makhachev, “Diamond” deserved his dues.

But the thing is, despite the touted gusto, the rest of the PPV lineup for the UFC 318 card has again fallen flat. In hindsight, tailored for ‘Poirier’ and his retirement might be a bad package, as it once again displays the bad marriage between UFC-ESPN on cable Pay-per-view with low output, middling PPV prelims, and lack of champs.

Will Dustin Poirier’s swan song and performance be Dana White’s saving grace? Will nabbing the silver make him decide to stay on? There’s just no telling yet. However, ahead of his fight, Diamond himself has given some vital updates on where he is at.

A major life update is provided by Dustin Poirier ahead of his supposed final fight at UFC 318

It has been ten years since a hard brawl was last fought by Poirier in front of his home fans. But on July 19 at the Smoothie King Center, a return to New Orleans, Louisiana, will be made again. Diamond has been swirling the finer details of his last fight for a long while now.

Dustin Poirier makes final walk of Hall of Fame–worthy career at UFC 318
Dustin Poirier makes final walk of Hall of Fame–worthy career at UFC 318 (Source: X)

He tuned his HOF-worthy career with a mash of Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’ and the infamous Willie Spence and ‘The Boss’ by James Brown at UFC 302, when he thought that was his last outing. Now he is planning some new groove, grit, and game for his last walkout.

Dustin Poirier is planning a showstopper that will be talked of for ages; if he retires after snagging the BMF silver in hand, he also does not see enough PPV card-worth incentive to bring that strap back into circulation. So, it is safe to say, there’s a lot going on in Poirier’s mind.

Fighting amidst his home crowd against a legend would make for a ‘legend’ fight and a dream walkout. However, Dustin Poirier has other things on his mind, too, than just returning to ‘The Big Easy’. Recently, the veteran said he and his wife are welcoming a son right after UFC 318, which has cemented his decision to walk away!

This is the last one. 19 years in, man. Had my first cage fight in 2007… my wife’s pregnant right now… my wife’s pregnant with a boy. So there’s a lot going on, man.

Dustin Poirier in a pre-fight media interview to Full Violence ™ (@Full_Violence)

Anybody who knows Diamond knows he is a family man at his core, and his wife and daughter come first to him. He was thus willing to hang it up after UFC 299 in Miami and after UFC 302, last June. Poirier has thus mentioned that another kid added to the mix will certainly help him grind elsewhere and make hanging up the gloves easier.

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