Dustin Poirier

Overview

Four of his nine UFC losses are submissions, and he has still finished four fights by submission himself. Dustin Poirier, "The Diamond," is a Lightweight out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, with a 22-9 UFC record and one no contest.

Fifteen of his 22 UFC wins came by finish: 11 by KO/TKO and 4 by submission. Seven of those finishes ended in the first round. He carries a two-fight losing streak into his next fight.

A long, high-volume UFC career, and a lot of it spent in main events.

UFC Career

Poirier debuted at UFC 125 on December 31, 2010, with a unanimous decision over Josh Grispi. His early run included submission wins over Pablo Garza and Max Holloway, and a fourth-round submission loss to Chan Sung Jung in a five-round fight.

The second stretch is where the finishing took over. Between December 2013 and June 2016 he went 6-1 with five stoppages, including a 1:46 first-round loss to Conor McGregor and a 1:35 first-round loss to Michael Johnson in a main event.

Then came the main-event run. He beat Anthony Pettis by third-round TKO, stopped Justin Gaethje at 0:33 of the fourth, and beat Eddie Alvarez in a rematch in the second. In April 2019 he took a five-round decision over Max Holloway, an opponent our model rates as elite.

The elite tier has also been where his losses came from. He lost by submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, and by decision to Holloway in the 2025 rematch. His win over Dan Hooker, also elite, went five rounds.

He beat McGregor twice in 2021, by second-round TKO in January and by a first-round stoppage in July that ended when the round expired.

Two elite wins, four elite losses. The top of the division has been the hardest place for him.

Fighting Style

Dustin Poirier is a busy, accurate striker who lands at a high clip. He also gets hit more than most, and his striking defense is only around average, so his fights tend to be exchanges rather than clean outings.

He rarely shoots for takedowns, but he is hard to put on the mat. He also hunts for submissions far more than most fighters, and four of his wins came that way.

The finishes come early. Of his 15 wins by finish, 7 came in round one and 5 more in round two. Eleven of his wins came by KO or TKO.

Notable Wins

• Max Holloway — unanimous decision, round 5, UFC 236 (2019)
• Justin Gaethje — TKO, round 4, UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Gaethje (2018)
• Conor McGregor — TKO, round 2, UFC 257 (2021)
• Michael Chandler — submission, round 3, UFC 281 (2022)

Quick Facts

• Division: Lightweight
• UFC record: 22-9 (1 NC)
• Professional record, all promotions: 30-10-0 (1 NC)
• UFC debut: 2010
• Stance: Southpaw
• Height / reach: 5'9" / 72"
• Team: American Top Team, Coconut Creek, FL
• Born: Lafayette, Louisiana