COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Dustin Poirier admits it "was a blindside" when the UFC came to him with Max Holloway as his retirement opponent, especially because he proposed different names.
Poirier's (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) highly anticipated final MMA fight is official for the UFC 318 main event on July 19 when he will challenge Holloway (26-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) for the BMF belt in a trilogy bout in the lightweight division, which takes place at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
According to Poirier, who already holds two victories over Holloway in 2012 and 2019, his first choice for his swan song was Justin Gaethje, whom he is 1-1 against in their series with each man holding a knockout victory.
"I was asking for Gaethje," Poirier told MMA Junkie. "I was asking Hunter (Campbell) and the UFC for Gaethje, because we're 1-1 and I want to close out that trilogy. For some reason they really wanted this fight, so I said, 'OK, that's cool because I respect the guy for my last fight.' I don't know what their thought process was for putting this together with me and Max, but I have a lot of respect for him, so it makes a lot of sense for me. I said legends only. Definitely fits that."
When Poirier said it was "legends only" for his retirement contest, there was some speculation, fuelled by a take from former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo, that Ilia Topuria would be the opponent after he changed his nickname to "The Legend."
Poirier, 36, said a showdown with Topuria was on his wish list for the retirement fight, too, but ultimately the UFC brass wasn't keen on making that pairing, and it was Holloway on the other side of the contract.
"Not once (did they offer Topuria)," Poirier said. "When he said he was going to 155, I messaged Hunter and the UFC and I said, 'Hey, what's up? Let me know what's going on with this guy now that he's at '55.' But they never entertained it. They told me it's not happening and they wanted Max."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dustin Poirier had wish list for UFC retirement before Max Holloway
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