Dustin Poirier reveals what Khabib Nurmagomedov said to him during octagon embrace at UFC 302
Dustin Poirier recently revealed his conversation with UFC legend and former opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov inside the octagon following his fight at UFC 302. Poirier thanked Nurmagomedov for raising a substantial sum of money for his charity.
For context, Poirier is the president of the nonprofit foundation 'The Good Fight'. He founded the charitable organization with his wife, Jolie Poirier, in 2018.
Since UFC 211, Poirier has been auctioning his combat gear to raise funds for charity. After UFC 242, Nurmagomedov made a touching gesture by highlighting 'The Diamond's charitable endeavors. The UFC Hall of Famer traded t-shirts with Poirier and promised to donate money to 'The Good Fight'.
The earnings from auctioning the merchandise were donated to the Louisianan's charity. Poirier reportedly raised $200,000 in charity contributions, including a substantial payment from UFC CEO Dana White. This sum was used to give clean drinking water to the Batwa Pygmy Tribe in Uganda.
At the UFC 302 post-fight conference, Poirier showed his admiration for Nurmagomedov and recalled the former UFC lightweight champion's donations to his charity. He said:
''I think he said I'm a legend, I'm a great fighter, they have a lot of respect for me and I have a lot of respect for those guys too. Khabib helped me out with my foundation, we swapped shirts and we ended up raising a lot of money to buy land and build water wells for people in Uganda.''
Check out Dustin Poirier's comments below:
The UFC 302 card featured Poirier and Islam Makhachev as the main event, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The fight was intense, with both fighters having their moments in the five-round title match.
Ultimately, in the fifth round of the fight, Poirier was submitted by the Dagestani after he caught him in a D'Arce choke.
Check out the post below:
When Khabib Nurmagomedov honored Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier squared off against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in 2019. Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title by submitting Poirier with a rear-naked choke in the third round.
During his post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov wore Poirier's t-shirt and emphasized the need to set a better standard of respect among fighters. He said:
"We show really what it is MMA. Number one, I think it's respect. When you come [to the] gym, first thing what your coach, everybody teach you...'You have to respect gym, you have to respect teammates, coaches, you have to still clean your gym'. Everything about respect. MMA is not about trash talking. You know, this is what we show with Dustin Poirier and his great team.''
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below (2:18):