Top 5 Dustin Poirier Fights In UFC: Dustin Poirier has been a perennial underdog for much of his time in the UFC. A fan favourite, while he has not been the undisputed champion at any point in his career, his journey to title shots is quite captivating for his fans and fans of the sport in general.
The former interim Lightweight champion recently challenged Max Holloway for the BMF belt at UFC 318 but lost in a thrilling five-round title fight that ended in a decision.
So, in light of his recent bout, which also was his retirement fight, today we will take a look at some of Dustin Poirier’s best fights in the UFC. These fights not only show why the American is one of the most popular fighters in the promotion, but also why he has been in the UFC Lightweight Championship picture for the better part of the decade now.
These are the top 5 Dustin Poirier fights in UFC –
Top 5 Dustin Poirier Fights In UFC
5) Dustin Poirier vs Chan Sung Jung, aka The Korean Zombie (UFC on Fuel TV; May 15, 2012)
One of Poirier’s earliest major fights in the UFC saw him take on one of the company’s first major Asian stars in Chan Sung Jung, more popularly known as the Korean Zombie. The two took on each other in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier in a Featherweight fight.
While Dustin went on to lose this fight in the fourth round via submission with a D’Arce Choke, it is still one of the greatest fights of his career for its sheer importance to the Featherweight division in this promotion. As an all-time classic, it deserves to be on this list.
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4) Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler (UFC 281; November 12, 2022)
Poirier’s first fight since losing a massive title match against Charles Oliveira, here, he took on a solid competitor in Michael Chandler to build his way back up to a Lightweight title fight. The two faced off in November 2022 at UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira in a brutal fight.
A scintillating first round was followed by just more blood and brutality. The two men, in order to keep their feet in the upper echelons of the UFC Lightweight Division, were ready to go all out for it. After two great rounds, in the third, Dustin picked up a great submission victory with a Rear Naked Choke.
3) Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 2 (UFC 257; January 23, 2021)
This seemed like it would be a culmination of a rivalry spanning years between the two. In 2014, the two men, before their prime, fought in the Featherweight Division, with McGregor dominating on his way to the top. Now, in 2021, the scene was different; it was a Lightweight fight, and it was Poirier who was in the prime of his career.
After years of verbal barbs thrown at one another, the two fought at UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor. While this fight isn’t an instant classic like the others on this list, the way Dustin Poirier dominated Conor McGregor, defeating him via knockout in the second round, has added a lot of respect to the legacy of the former UFC Lightweight champion.
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2) Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje 1 (UFC on Fox 29; April 14, 2018)
Arguably the most brutal fight in Dustin Poirier’s career, this kind of bout shows whether a fighter is championship material or not. Poirier was still proving himself in the Lightweight Division. Meanwhile, Justin Gaethje had come into the UFC undefeated and was a former WSOF champion, but had lost the first fight of his career in the bout before. The two collided at UFC on Fox 29, as the two men took each other to the absolute limit.
While there was certainly a winner of this fight, that being Poirier via KO in the fourth round, both men left something in the Octagon that night. The two men would end up becoming champions in the UFC after this fight, but this is the bout that showed the world that they were capable of pushing to the very top. Poirier would defeat Max Holloway after almost exactly a year to this day for the title. Speaking of which –
1) Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway 2 (UFC 236; April 13, 2019)
While the two men had fought earlier in their careers, this fight would see the two face off at the peak of their careers, at the height of their athleticism, and at the pinnacle of their brutality. Dustin Poirier faced Max Holloway for the second time in his career at UFC 236: Holloway vs. Poirier 2.
This night, the UFC found their latest superstar in Poirier, who took the mighty Lightweight champion Holloway to his absolute limit. One of the greatest displays of striking in a title fight in recent years, the two men seemed neck and neck till the last breath. Dustin Poirier would win in five rounds via unanimous decision and become the interim UFC Lightweight Champion.
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