Ben Askren explains why Dustin Poirier potentially retiring after UFC 302 loss makes sense: "Time's undefeated"
Ben Askren believes that Dustin Poirier's potential retirement after his UFC 302 defeat might be the right choice. Askren, who previously held Bellator and ONE Championship titles, highlighted the difference between Poirier's possible decision to retire and veteran fighters like Nick Diaz and Tony Ferguson continuing their careers.
A former interim UFC lightweight champion, Poirier fell short in his sole bid to win the BMF belt and failed in three attempts at capturing the undisputed UFC lightweight title as well.
Poirier's most recently suffered a fifth-round submission loss against reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 this past weekend. During his post-fight octagon interview, Poirier suggested that it was likely the final fight of his career. Nevertheless, 'The Diamond' did indicate that he hasn't completely shut the door on a return.
On the Funky and the Champ podcast alongside co-host Daniel Cormier, Ben Askren supported the idea that Dustin Poirier should retire while he's still an elite fighter. 'Funky' believes fighters shouldn't excessively prolong their careers, as they always go downhill, emphasizing that "time is undefeated."
A former Olympic wrestler like Cormier, Askren noted that after retiring from MMA, they (he and Cormier) have been serving as wrestling coaches, as it's something they love. The former UFC welterweight feels every fighter eventually has to retire and move on to something else they have a passion for.
'Funky' notably referenced the Vicente Luque vs. Nick Diaz and Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa welterweight bouts set to transpire at UFC Abu Dhabi. He implied that the older Diaz brother and Ferguson, both 40, shouldn't face younger fighters like Luque and Chiesa who've been actively competing at a high level in recent years.
Juxtaposing the situations of Diaz and Ferguson with that of the 35-year-old Poirier, Askren stated:
"It's like, why is he [Nick Diaz] fighting? I wanna say Diaz is probably in his forties by now. I think he's a little older than me. And then Ferguson's fighting again. They gave him someone tough also. It's like, you guys gotta know when enough is enough. Like, yes, you're great, great fighters. But time's undefeated.
"Move on. Do something else. Have something else that you wanna do in life. And so, I actually find it very sad when fighters hang on too long. And I think it's great when Dustin's like, 'Hey, man. I'm on the top of my game. Maybe I'm not number one in the world, but I'm number two, or three, or somewhere very close. And I made my runs. I had three title shots. And I'm gonna go do something else in my life.'"
Check out Askren's comments below (14:34):
Ben Askren and Daniel Cormier on the possibility of Dustin Poirier's comeback
Later in the conversation, Daniel Cormier emphasized that Dustin Poirier wasn't definitive about retirement. The UFC Hall of Famer deemed it a probable negotiating point on Poirier's part.
Furthermore, 'DC' insinuated that 'The Diamond' is unlikely to get another shot at undisputed gold and is, therefore, pursuing other high-profile matchups.
Meanwhile, Askren appeared to lightheartedly say:
"That tells me he's coming back for sure."
Cormier and Askren suggested that Dustin Poirier may return to face a few big-name opponents. They pointed out Poirier's teammate-turned-rival, former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby 'Chaos' Covington, has long been lobbying for their grudge match at welterweight.
Additionally, after UFC 302, former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski expressed interest in facing Poirier.