“I’m not fighting because I need this check,” Dustin Poirier still going for UFC undisputed gold despite past defeats

Only a few fighters in the UFC have stayed in the promotion for a very long time, not to mention at the top. Dustin Poirier was one of them. Despite claiming the interim title, ‘The Diamond’ hasn’t touched the undisputed gold. As such, he wanted to make one last run at it, starting with facing Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299. However, he also hinted at retirement if things didn’t go as planned.

At the UFC 299 media day, Dustin Poirier revealed his situation in the UFC and his reasons for fighting. Acknowledging his long career, ‘The Diamond’ only has one thing left to accomplish: attain the undisputed title. Here is what he said:

The undisputed world championship is the last thing I really want to do in this sport. Been fighting a long time, this is my thirtieth fight in the UFC – come up short, been victories, it’s been a long journey…I have so much stuff going on outside the octagon, businesses that I’m part of, that I own. It’s not like I’m fighting because I need this check. I’m fighting because I need to fight for me.

Dustin Poirier (Via UFC 299 Media Day)

As Dustin Poirier said, he was involved in a lot of business and had hefty endorsement deals. He owned a popular hot sauce brand, the official hot sauce of the UFC, with a multi-year deal. Further, considering his three fights with the global star Conor McGregor, Poirier has earned a lifetime’s worth of money. As such, Poirier’s statements came from his heart, and his motivations to fight were internal and nothing external.

Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis would remain a career-changing fight for both men. With Saint-Denis hungry to get into the top five and Poirier needing to prove his worth, this matchup has the classic taste of veteran vs. prospect. Also, with both fighters aiming for the UFC gold, this fight has much at stake. As such, UFC 299 decides the fate of these two fighters.

Dustin Poirier believes he only needs one more win to fight for the UFC title

Being a household name in the UFC, Dustin Poirier has always remained a fan favorite and an exciting fighter. However, despite challenging for it twice, the UFC veteran has never claimed the UFC undisputed title. Now, ‘The Diamond’ wanted to take one more shot at it. As such, he aimed to produce a spectacular finish in his upcoming bout with Benoit Saint-Denis.

On Media Day, a journalist questioned Dustin Poirier about his chances of fighting for the title. Poirier responded everything depended on how he would win his next fight. Here is what he said:

A lot of that thing depends on how I win (my next fight). If its a big finish or something like that I believe I’m a win away from a title shot with a great performance. It rides the ship, it gets me back in the win column and we take it from there.

Dustin Poirier (Via UFC 299 Media Day)

Dustin Poirer lost his previous bout to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291. Suffering a knockout loss, Poirier contemplated his moves before signing the deal to fight Benoit Saint-Denis. As such, now he reignited his title aspirations and aimed to move forward with vigor. As such, the lightweight legend focused on the task at hand and wanted to win his fight at UFC 299. This fight goes down in the co-main spot this weekend at the Kaseya Center, Miami.

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