UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier responded to Beneil Dariush after he suggested that Poirier should hang up the gloves.
The former UFC interim lightweight champions’ latest outing occurred at UFC 281 in November at Maddison Square Garden against Michael Chandler. After enduring the early storm from Chandler, Poirier recuperated, eventually latching onto a rear-naked choke in the third round. The back-and-forth brawl cemented itself in the history books.
After the bout, Poirier remained unsettled on his path back to the title. The 33-year-old explained he desired to fight against big names in exciting fights. Poirier respectfully snubbed the idea of fighting backwards in the division, which caused some annoyance to the up-and-coming contenders.
During an interview with Submission Radio, Dariush suggested it’s perhaps time for Poirier to close the curtain on his career.
UFC LIGHTWEIGHT BENEIL DARIUSH SUGGEST DUSTIN POIRIER RETIRES
“I wish he’d be a little bit more clear as to, what is it that doesn’t excite him about me?” Dariush said.
“Are my fights not exciting enough? Or is it a skill issue? Or is it just because I don’t have the name? Because if it’s just because of the name, he should really consider — and I say this as nicely as possible, I’m not trying to be a d***, but he should really consider retiring.
“Because if you’re going to look for the names, if you’re going to look to fight only guys that the name will get you, bro, there’s dogs coming. There’s dogs, and they’re young and they’re hungry. They’re looking to kill.”
Dariush feels it’s the wrong approach for Poirier to wait for the most enticing matchups, considering he’s already fought the most elite of the division.
“There’s guys out there already and there’s not a whole lot of Michael Chandlers left out there in the division. How many more fights like that can you get? You’re going to have to fight one of these dogs, and currently I’m at the forefront of these guys.
“So either step up or think about doing something else. He seems successful so, if you’re not genuinely — fighting is not a sport you want to be half-hearted about. So if he’s not 100 percent in, he should really reconsider what he’s doing.”
DUSTIN POIRIER RESPONDS
Earlier today, Poirier responded to the retirement call from Dariush.
“Thanks for the advice Benny! I’ll take it into consideration. Not sure if you’re into hot sauce or not but if you are free Shipping on me!” Poirier tweeted.
Poirier has established himself as a fan favourite in recent years with the action he brings inside the cage, and it seems like the 35-fight veteran has no burning desire for lacklustre fights at the back end of his career.