dustin-poirier-retirement-flag.jpg
Getty Images

It may be hard on UFC fans to know they won't be seeing Dustin Poirier in the Octagon again, but it's been harder than anyone can imagine on Poirier. Poirier hung up his gloves following his UFC 318 loss to Max Holloway, a retirement that was planned before the event. Since retiring, Poirier has stated on social media that "a part of me has died" by no longer being an active fighter.

Speaking with CBS Sports, Poirier expanded on how he has dealt with the struggles that come with retirement, even as he does not regret his decision.

"Nothing is ever going to fill that hole," Poirier said. "But, keeping my mind busy ... I've been really trying to focus on staying busy. I'm traveling a lot for different things, spending time with my family, and doing a lot of stuff around the house. Like I've been saying, these days are long. When I'm not waking up running three miles, going to the gym, and having somewhere else to be from fighting, the days are long. You have a lot of time to overthink and sit back. I'm just trying to stay busy, man.

"... A lot of yard work. The honey-do list is good because I can get back from traveling, knock a few things off, and then travel again for something. When I come back, the list is filled up again. I always have something to do."

One of the ways Poirier is staying busy in his post-fighting career is participating in the current Bud Light "Call Center" campaign. Alongside Bruce Buffer, Poirier is "giving UFC fans ages 21+ the chance to call Bruce and Dustin themselves and request to ditch the desk for tickets with their crew at UFC 322." 

Poirier has also transitioned to occasionally working as an analyst for UFC broadcasts. One might believe that being around the sport, discussing fights, but not entering the Octagon, may further complicate the emotional pain of knowing his in-cage career is over, but Poirier believes the work actually helps him connect to the thing he misses so badly.

"If anything, it makes things easier," Poirier said. "I love doing the analyst work. I'd honestly like to do more of that if the opportunity were to arise. Just to stay a voice in the sport and be around the people behind the scenes, and the people who work for the UFC. I've known these people for decades of my life. So, just being around them, even though I'm not fighting that night, I'm still in the mix, I'm still going through fight week. It just helps me out.

"I'm never going to get those feelings [from fighting] again. All eyes on you, someone is trying to hurt you, and you're trying to feed your family. That's a whole different thing."

Poirier retired with a 30-10 record, losing four of his final six fights against some of the toughest competition in the world. Despite a rocky finish to his career, Poirier was a beloved fighter who was always up to bring excitement to the cage.

For someone who has lived and breathed fighting, and fought in such an exciting style, the decision to retire was not an easy one. The difficulty in stepping away was only amplified for Poirier by a belief that he can still compete at an elite level.

"It's a slow drip," Poirier said. "I still think I can compete and beat the best guys in the world right now. It's a slow drip, though. Everything going on in life. My wife being pregnant, my daughter getting older, having 50-something fights, and a lot of them were crazy fights. It's just trying to look out for myself for the future."

Poirier has said there is one fight that would get him back in the game, a bout with fellow fan-favorite brawler Nate Diaz, preferably in Zuffa Boxing.

Poirier and Diaz were scheduled to fight at UFC 230 in November 2018, but the bout fell through. Both sides have blamed the other for the fight falling apart. Poirier blamed Diaz for extending negotiations with the UFC, while Diaz has claimed Poirier withdrew from the fight due to injuries.

"I would have fought Nate in MMA as well," Poirier said. "He knows that. I accepted it many times. He always talked trash, and the fight slipped away. I had to be the fall guy for one of the times the fight slipped away. It's a mess working with him behind the scenes. I just always wanted to beat his ass, honestly.

"I would probably take it, but we'll see. It depends on the date and what me and my wife have going on. But that's a fight I've wanted before I retired and I've accepted it multiple times."

While the potential Diaz fight could motivate Poirier to come out of retirement for one last dance, Poirier does not find him in the category of other retired or long inactive fighters, such as Jon Jones and Conor McGregor, to fight at the UFC's planned June card on the White House lawn.

"For me, it's awesome and incredible and a huge part of history to set up an Octagon on the lawn of the White House," Poirier said. "But it's never been, like, fighting in Madison Square Garden was cool because it's such a historic place. But, like, arenas or places to fight are never going to bring me back. It has to be an opponent or a reason to fight. Venues are just extras."