Watch: When Dustin Poirier cried backstage after suffering first UFC loss to The Korean Zombie
Dustin Poirier withstood the first loss of his UFC career against Chan Sung Jung in 2012. 'The Diamond', who was 23 years of age back then, was so devastated with his first promotional loss, that he got tearful during one of his interviews after the fight.
In a video uploaded by user @ProperVeggies on Twitter, Dustin Poirier can be seen sobbing after his defeat against 'The Korean Zombie'.
"I was supposed to win tonight, I trained hard, and I owed it to my wife and to myself. It's (the loss) a big hit to me, man. This is my life," said a disappointed Poirier. "I am gonna grow from this, I am gonna come back, and I am gonna win, no doubt about it. I am gonna win or I am gonna die in the cage, one of the two is going to happen. I am a winner... I lost the fight to a fighter who is better, I didn't get caught, or I didn't get knocked out by a punch I didn't see. He beat me, and I can respect that," Poirier concluded.
Dustin Poirier was coming off a big win over Max Holloway, and possessed a five-fight win streak going up against Sung Jung. However, The Diamond was put to sleep by The Korean Zombie in the fourth round via D'Arce choke.
As always, Poirier was gracious in defeat, who congratulated his South Korean opponent for being a superior fighter.
Dustin Poirier is likely to have a crack at the UFC lightweight title in his next fight
Dustin Poirier bounced back with some solid victories after his loss to Chan Sung Jung. He then moved one weight class up to return to the lightweight division, where he went on to claim the interim UFC lightweight championship.
Still, The Diamond fell short in his effort to unify the lightweight title against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019. Since then, he has managed to score a pair of instrumental victories against Dan Hooker and, most recently, against Conor McGregor.
Poirier's win over McGregor propelled him to the top of the lightweight division as he is the No.1 ranked 155-pound competitor in the UFC at the moment. The 32-year-old also stated that he is the "uncrowned world champion" since Nurmagomedov has retired from the sport.
With two successive wins against tough opponents in Hooker and McGregor, Dustin Poirier is set to stake a claim to the UFC lightweight championship for the second time.