When Dustin Poirier first arrived in the UFC back in 2011, the promotion`s championship landscape was dominated by names like Cain Velasquez, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Frankie Edgar.
Interestingly, with the exceptions of Jon Jones and Jose Aldo, every single fighter who held a UFC title when Poirier made his debut is now either retired or no longer competing under the UFC banner. Now, as the 36-year-old veteran prepares for what is expected to be his final walk to the octagon – a retirement fight scheduled against Max Holloway at UFC 318 in July – Poirier acknowledges that his generation is getting ready to pass the torch to the next wave of talent, just as the legends who preceded him did when he arrived.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Poirier articulated his perspective:
“I think we’re in a changing of the guard. I got to see the era before me that I was growing up [watching], I was a fan of these guys like Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn, Chuck Liddell. I got to kind of see that get transitioned out to this new era. I think we’re going through a little bit of that now.”
While certain seasoned fighters, such as Alexander Volkanovski, continue to defy the conventional timelines of the sport – Volkanovski recently became the first fighter over the age of 35 to capture a title in a division at 155 pounds or lighter by reclaiming the featherweight belt at UFC 314 – the vast majority of athletes in that age range are nearing the conclusion of their professional careers.
Poirier has been publicly contemplating retirement for quite some time, but he was determined to have one final bout before stepping away. This last fight is now confirmed to take place in his home state of Louisiana when UFC 318 is hosted in New Orleans.
He understands that this moment was inevitable and suspects that other prominent UFC figures are in a similar phase, likely to join him in retirement sooner rather than later.
Poirier specifically mentioned fellow veterans he believes are also winding down:
“I’m on my way out. Justin Gaethje’s on his way out. Kamaru Usman has a few left. It’s a changing of the guard right now.”
As veterans like Poirier and Gaethje approach the end of their competitive paths, the next generation of fighters is undoubtedly making a significant impact, with rising stars such as Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett increasingly gaining prominence.
