Throwback: Dustin Poirier kicked off his decorated UFC career 12 years ago today
Although an undisputed world championship title still eludes him, former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is one of the finest mixed martial artists to have ever graced the famed octagon. Twelve years ago on this day, 'Diamond' first stepped inside the UFC cage.
Jan1.2011
12 years ago today,
Dustin Poirier made his UFC debut & defeated Josh Grispi. https://t.co/ohnWATA3VV
The Lousiana native his promotional debut against Josh Grispi at UFC 125 on January 1, 2011, and won the bout via a unanimous decision. Since then, he has racked up a stellar UFC record of 21 wins against 6 losses and 1 no-contest (NC).
Starting his UFC career as a featherweight, Poirier eventually moved up to 155 lbs, where he found immense success. Throughout his storied career, 'Diamond' has only challenged for the lightweight belt on two occasions.
The American also holds wins against the who's who of the MMA world, including former featherweight champion Max Holloway, former two-division champion Conor McGregor, former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and No.3-ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje among others.
Watch some of Dustin Poirier's best finishes below:
He is probably best known for his high-profile rivalry against 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor, against whom he holds two back-to-back wins. It was during their trilogy fight that the Irishman suffered his infamous leg break, which has sidelined him since 2021.
In his most recent fight against former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier clinched a hard-fought third-round submission victory which very well might have put him back in the title picture. Maybe the third time's the charm.
17. Dustin Poirier defeats Michael Chandler via submission in Round 3 on 12.11.22 twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/PvEMPj2abc
When Dustin Poirier became the first man ever to knock out Conor McGregor
The hard-hitting trash-talking Irishman Conor McGregor is, without a doubt, MMA's biggest superstar of all time. So the distinction of being the first man to knockout 'The Notorious' in the octagon most certainly helped in increasing Dustin Poirier's star power.
In their second-ever UFC meeting at UFC 257, Poirier went into the fight as an underdog, according to several sportsbooks. However. 'Diamond' had other plans in mind.
The 33-year-old started targeting the Irishman's calves early in the fight. The accumulated damage from the calf kicks visibly limited McGregor's mobility by the second round, ultimately enabling the American to finish the Irishman at 2:32 in the second round.
Watch McGregor vs. Poirier below:
The incident even led to some hilarious moments during the pre-fight presser of the dup trilogy fight at UFC 264.
Watch Poirier roast McGregor at the UFC 264 presser below: