Daniel Cormier advises Dustin Poirier against retirement after UFC 302.
Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) fell short in his third shot at undisputed gold when he was submitted by lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in this past Saturday’s headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
After losing to Makhachev, Poirier said that may have been his final fight. Cormier doesn’t like hearing Poirier ponder retirement, and sees many big money fights for him outside of the belt.
“I don’t want to see him go,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I don’t know that he should go. I think that what Dustin Poirier should do is take the big fights. He’s such an attraction now in the world of fighting that he’s got a lot of money to be made, but also a lot of big fights to be had.
“He’s only 35 years old, so he can do this for a long time. Maybe don’t fight as frequently, but continue to make that walk because once you’re done, you’re done and you can’t come back from it.”
Cormier also lauded Poirier for the way he fought against Makhachev. ‘The Diamond” showed improved takedown defense, but was ultimately submitted in Round 5.
“He fought as good in losing as he’s fought in a really long time,” Cormier said. “I think that he was better (Saturday) than he was against Benoit Saint Denis, and that’s a credit to him and his coaching staff. I thought he fought well.
“Clearly, you lose, yes, there’s some disappointment. But overall, I think Dustin Poirier is going to be very proud of his performance in the octagon. But if this is it, congrats DP, man. You did something many could never have expected you to do.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.
