'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Dustin Poirier has been in the UFC for over a decade and has more than earned a name for himself. However, the closest he's come to lightweight championship gold was becoming the interim champion after beating Max Holloway at UFC 236 in April 2019. He lost his title to Khabib Nurmagomedov in his next fight, and 'The Eagle' unified the belts.
He fought Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in September 2019 at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Poirier had a shot at the title for the first time since returning to the division in 2015, before which he had a short stint in the featherweight division. Nurmagomedov went into the fight as the odds-on favorite and everyone expected him to dominate.
Take a look at the fight highlights:
Trending
From the minute the bell ran, Khabib Nurmagomedov pressured Dustin Poirier. He threw a few strikes before quickly taking his opponent down. The Louisiana native could only last until the third round before fatigue set in. From the top position, Nurmagomedov executed a rear-naked choke in the third round to win.
Dustin Poirier says the loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov will stay with the rest of his life
Dustin Poirier was heartbroken following his loss to 'The Eagle.' The Russian dominated Poirier for three whole rounds. The only highlight for the Louisiana native was when he got 'The Eagle' in a choke hold but was unable to keep him there. Following his loss, he spoke about how the loss would affect him:
"You know, I feel like I have a lot of fights left in me if I want. It's just, this was my 41st mixed martial arts fight, these kinda pinnacle moments don't happen a lot in your career. And I feel like I'm gonna have to live with tonight for the rest of my life, I worked 14 years of mixed martial arts to get here, 41 fights...I'm not fighting just to fight, I'm fighting to be the world champ."
Dustin Poirier was disappointed with his performance and believed he could have done much better after putting in so many years of work. He looks to get his third shot at the title this Saturday as he faces Michael Chandler at UFC 281. The winner of the fight will most likely fight the champion Islam Makhachev next.
Take a look at the interview:
