5 unknown facts about Dustin Poirier

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Dustin Poirier

The phrase 'pressure makes diamonds' is best epitomized by Dustin Poirier. In a sport where athletes gain fame through talking big and making headlines, 'The Diamond' has attained glory the hard way. The top-ranked UFC lightweight, who is of Acadian French descent, has climbed the ladder of success by proving his skill fight after fight.

Dustin Glenn Poirier started his MMA career at the age of 20 and made his UFC debut in 2011. With a record of 27-6-1, he is considered one of the best lightweights in MMA, especially for his boxing skills.

So, does he come from an affluent background? How did he develop a likeness for fighting? Here we look at five interesting facts about Poirier.

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#5 Dustin Poirier was in juvenile detention

A young Dustin Poirier (right) with his family

Dustin Poirier grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, in a rough neighborhood. His parents went through a divorce when he was just five years old. After the split, he lived with his mother, Jere Chaisson, along with his two brothers.

Growing up, Dustin Poirier had a liking towards American football and wrestling. He didn't attend school as regularly as the other kids, and when he did, it was to play ball. However, he soon started getting into street fights, and as a result, was expelled from school in the 8th grade.

Poirier was then placed in an alternate school to get him to the 9th grade. He was soon sent to juvenile detention and boot camps for repeatedly getting into trouble and street fights. After getting out, he chose to never attend school again, which he said made him feel like a prison. The No.1 UFC lightweight said in an interview on The Real:

"I honestly never graduated eighth grade. I got expelled in eighth grade, and then I got put in an alternative school to jump me back to my ninth grade. And then I did a lot of my ninth grade in juvenile detention and in boot camp.. When I got out of that, I just never went back to school."

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