"Not weakness to admit that you're not feeling well" - Dustin Poirier gets honest about mental health struggles he faced after loss to Justin Gaethje 

Dustin Poirier's knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in their rematch had a psychological impact on him, and he was big enough to admit it in an interview on The Jim Rome Show. During his sitdown, 'The Diamond' opened up about the effects of the loss itself.

Poirier also argued that there is nothing inherently negative about being in touch with one's feelings and state of mind. Rome himself referenced Poirier's state of mind after the loss to Gaethje, and the Louisiana native highlighted his wife as a positive influence.

"I reached out, and honestly my wife, we've been together a while, she was a driving force in me making these decisions. To reach out, start doing counseling and doing sports psychology and really focus on my mental well-being. My wife really nudged me over the edge to take those steps, to do things to better myself. And just be more in the moment."

While he acknowledged that he had much to look forward to in his life, it still doesn't take away from how challenging his many obligations sometimes are.

"I have so much to be grateful for, but living this life, running the businesses that I do, and doing all the fights I do, it's just such a chaotic place to be in your head sometimes. Just to organize those mental files. If you're not feeling well, it's not weakness to admit that you're not feeling well."

Check out Dustin Poirier talking about his mental health (58:21 and 1:00:00):

The loss to Gaethje was a stunning one, as Poirier is rarely knocked out, having only ever been stopped thrice in 40 professional MMA bouts. The other two times were against Conor McGregor and, more surprisingly, Michael Johnson.

---

Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje are tied

Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje have faced each other twice now. Both fights ended in stoppages, with Poirier emerging victorious in their first encounter at UFC on Fox 29, TKO'ing Gaethje after a four-round war. However, their rematch ended in an entirely different fashion.

The two men locked horns at UFC 291, where Gaethje left the world jaw-dropped by knocking Poirier out cold with a head kick in Round 2 to capture the BMF title.