Dustin Poirier Reveals He Suffered Rib Injury Before UFC 302 Loss to Islam Makhachev

Doric SamJune 10, 2024

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UFC star Dustin Poirier revealed that he was banged up heading into his lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 earlier this month, which ended in a fifth-round submission loss.

During an appearance on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, Poirier told Ariel Helwani that he suffered a rib injury halfway through training camp. However, he never considered pulling out of the fight and didn’t blame the injury for his loss to Makhachev.

MMA Fighting @MMAFightingDustin Poirier confirms he suffered a rib injury before UFC 302, but had no plans to pull out.

“I don’t think it changed anything or the way I fought, but yeah, I smashed my ribs up bad.”

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In addition to the injury he had heading into the main event, Poirier announced afterward that he suffered a partially torn ACL, a broken rib and a broken nose.

The fight against Makhachev was Poirier’s third time vying for a UFC title, and he was unsuccessful each time. The 35-year-old said after the fight that it was possibly his last time competing in the UFC, and while he still hasn’t made a decision on his fighting future, he reiterated that notion on Monday.

“I can’t say I’ll never fight again, but I just don’t know the reason. What am I gonna fight for? To get into a battle? I loved that, but man, I’ve taken some lumps over the years. It has to be for something, and maybe that something, I’ll recognize that or realize that in the coming weeks, I don’t know, but I’m just taking it one day at a time,” he said. When asked if he was leaning in a particular direction, he replied, “Yeah, I’m leaning toward being done.”

MMA Fighting @MMAFightingDustin Poirier says he’s “leaning towards being done.”

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Poirier is one of the most popular UFC fighters on the roster and a legend of MMA, so fans will surely enjoy seeing him compete again if he has it in him to lace up the gloves again. However, it sounds like the veteran is ready to call it a career and move on to the next chapter in his life.