Daniel Cormier urges Dustin Poirier not to retire after UFC 302: ‘He’s got a lot of money to be made’
Daniel Cormier advises Dustin Poirier against retirement after UFC 302.
Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) fell short in his third shot at undisputed gold when he was submitted by lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in this past Saturdayâs headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
After losing to Makhachev, Poirier said that may have been his final fight. Cormier doesnât like hearing Poirier ponder retirement, and sees many big money fights for him outside of the belt.
âI donât want to see him go,â Cormier said on his YouTube channel. âI donât know that he should go. I think that what Dustin Poirier should do is take the big fights. Heâs such an attraction now in the world of fighting that heâs got a lot of money to be made, but also a lot of big fights to be had.
âHeâs only 35 years old, so he can do this for a long time. Maybe donât fight as frequently, but continue to make that walk because once youâre done, youâre done and you canât come back from it.â
Cormier also lauded Poirier for the way he fought against Makhachev. âThe Diamondâ showed improved takedown defense, but was ultimately submitted in Round 5.
âHe fought as good in losing as heâs fought in a really long time,â Cormier said. âI think that he was better (Saturday) than he was against Benoit Saint Denis, and thatâs a credit to him and his coaching staff. I thought he fought well.
âClearly, you lose, yes, thereâs some disappointment. But overall, I think Dustin Poirier is going to be very proud of his performance in the octagon. But if this is it, congrats DP, man. You did something many could never have expected you to do.â
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