As he approaches what he has announced will be the final fight of his career, Dustin Poirier has begun revealing previously undisclosed details about significant injuries he sustained before major bouts. Poirier is set to face Max Holloway for the third time on July 19 at UFC 318, following his recent challenge for the lightweight title against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302.
The former interim lightweight champion, known as `The Diamond`, recently spoke openly about the physical challenges he faced, now that his storied career is winding down.
Dustin Poirier Reveals Mateusz Gamrot Accidentally Broke His Ribs Ahead of UFC 302
In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Poirier disclosed that he went into his UFC 302 title fight against Islam Makhachev with a severe handicap: two broken ribs. He explained that the injury occurred accidentally during a grappling session in the final stages of his training camp.
Poirier had been spending extensive time working on his grappling, utilizing fellow top lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot as a key training partner. Despite the unfortunate timing and the nature of the injury, Poirier clarified that the incident was a complete accident.
Despite advice from his wife and head coach Mike Brown to withdraw from the fight, Poirier felt he couldn`t pull out, deciding to compete with the injury. He recounted how his ribs popped during an armbar defense attempt while training with Gamrot.
“My last fight, the Islam fight, I had two broken ribs going into the fight and I knew it was going to be a wrestling grind. My wife wanted me to pull out of the fight, Mike Brown (head coach) wanted me to pull out of the fight but I couldn’t. Yeah. Gamrot broke my ribs like right before fight week. It was an accident. What’s crazy though [is] it was an arm bar. It was just my arm was pulled weird and I did like a hitchhiker, I was trying to roll out and then my ribs just popped.”
While Poirier had moments of success against the dominant champion before ultimately being submitted in the fifth round, the broken ribs undoubtedly complicated his performance, particularly in a wrestling-heavy matchup.
Dustin Poirier Fought Max Holloway Rematch With Significant Bicep Injury
Poirier also revealed another major injury he overcame in the past, specifically before his rematch against Max Holloway at UFC 236. That fight, which was seven years after their first encounter, was a main event for the interim lightweight title.
The contest was widely regarded as one of the best title fights in UFC history, with Poirier emerging victorious via unanimous decision to claim the interim belt. However, Poirier disclosed that he faced significant adversity before even stepping into the cage due to another freak accident.
He suffered a lacerated bicep, an injury he said scans showed looked like a “slice” in the muscle after blocking a punch. He noted that his entire arm turned black from the blood drainage and recalled visibly shaking his injured arm between rounds during the fight.
“I had a lacerated bicep. I don’t know if anybody ever noticed but like between rounds I’m shaking my arm. I threw a punch and a guy blocked and my arm missed and the scans showed like a slice. It wasn’t a torn bicep, it sliced my muscle like someone hit me with a hatchet. My whole arm was black, all the blood drained down.”
As Poirier prepares for his final walk to the Octagon in front of his home crowd against Holloway at UFC 318, these revelations highlight the physical toll his legendary career has taken and the challenges he has fought through.
Jack Thornley