Dear 'Diamond': Letters to Dustin Poirier on the eve of his final UFC fight

NEW ORLEANS -- One of the astir iconic careers successful mixed martial arts past volition travel to a adjacent Saturday, arsenic Dustin Poirier volition marque his last locomotion to the UFC Octagon against Max Holloway astatine UFC 318 (10 p.m. ET connected ESPN+ PPV).

Poirier is inactive considered 1 of the apical lightweights successful the world, ranked No. 5 successful ESPN's divisional rankings. But the 36-year-old said helium has decided to locomotion distant to sphere his semipermanent wellness -- adjacent though the thought of beingness without warring unnerves him.

"I've been warring my full life, but I deliberation it's a beauteous clip to locomotion away," Poirier told ESPN. "It's scary. I truly don't cognize what beingness is going to look similar without it. I'll person to spell done it to speech astir it."

With wins implicit Holloway (twice), Conor McGregor (twice), Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker, Poirier is 1 of the champion MMA fighters ne'er to seizure UFC golden and apt a aboriginal UFC Hall of Famer.

As overmuch arsenic Poirier's vocation has meant to him and his family, it has besides meant thing to those closest to him -- arsenic good arsenic countless fans worldwide.

"I anticipation [my career] made idiosyncratic recognize nary substance wherever you are oregon what is stacked against you, if you pursuit your dreams, perpetrate yourself to thing and enactment dedicated, you tin marque miracles happen," Poirier said.

Ahead of UFC 318, ESPN asked Poirier's family, friends and members of his squad to constitute "The Diamond" letters, describing their emotions astir his last combat and what his vocation meant to them. It's harmless to accidental Poirier succeeded successful his extremity of inspiring others passim his 16-year career.

Letters person been lightly edited for clarity.

'You readjust. You recalibrate. You re-believe successful yourself.'

Big D!

Congratulations connected your UFC career. It's been a blessing to get to witnesser your wars implicit the years. Some of my favorites were your triumph against Holloway successful Atlanta astatine UFC 236, erstwhile Dana White enactment the loop connected you; the Dan Hooker Fight Night successful 2020; and the Benoît Saint Denis knockout astatine UFC 299! I was watching from Australia. The full barroom went bonkers. It was magical.

It's besides been a acquisition erstwhile you didn't get the triumph -- to ticker you navigate those times, to instrumentality the precocious roadworthy successful disputes, to beryllium patient, to beryllium honorable with yourself and to effort to stock arsenic overmuch of the lows with the fans and friends arsenic you could. To fto america grieve those moments with you, convey you, man.

Watching you amusement up for yourself and for your wars has inspired maine truthful overmuch implicit the years. And I cognize I'm not the lone one. There are times I privation to discontinue and I don't, and it's due to the fact that you didn't quit. You ne'er quit. You readjust. You recalibrate. You re-believe successful yourself. And you marque the locomotion backmost into the occurrence of life. And due to the fact that you bash that, it helps america bash that.

So, connected behalf of your fans (if they'll let it) and the authorities of Louisiana (if they'll let it), I privation to accidental convey you. Thanks for letting america beryllium a portion of it all. I couldn't consciousness luckier to cognize a quality arsenic unsocial arsenic you. You are an inspiration to maine and to many. Thanks for sharing each you could with us. You're a large fighter, but you're besides REALLY GREAT, Dustin Poirier.

God Bless "The Diamond." Excited to spot what helium shines into next.

All love,
Theo Von and Everyone
Comedian and friend

'You told maine you would ever enactment existent to yourself'

DP,

Knowing this is your past combat is bittersweet. In truthful galore ways, I'm bittersweet for selfish reasons. It's bittersweet due to the fact that I cognize I won't spot you arsenic much, knowing you unrecorded successful Louisiana and typically lone travel to Florida for camp. On the agleam side, you did connection to alert backmost and assistance anyone that needs help, which is the benignant of teammate you've ever been. You're ever consenting to alert to Florida and leap into a campy for whoever mightiness beryllium warring a southpaw, and you've ever done it connected your ain dime. It's bittersweet to spot you go, but I'm blessed you volition beryllium transitioning into a overmuch safer, healthier lifestyle.

I'm astir arrogant that you told maine you would ever enactment existent to yourself, and that's precisely what you did. You said, "If I person to triumph a mates other fights to get a rubric shot, that's good with me." I deliberation astatine the clip you archetypal fought for the interim belt, you had the second-longest way there, lone down Michael Bisping. You ne'er played a character, acted fake oregon wore a comic chapeau to get attention. You simply trained hard, showed up and fought with each your heart. And that gave america immoderate of the top fights successful our sport's history.

What I'll miss astir is the camaraderie, the combat trips, the guys each together. Sometimes combat trips are stressful and a batch of work, but yours were loose, relaxed, a batch of fun. Renting homes the past fewer years and keeping each of the coaches and grooming partners together, it's been a blast each clip -- with amusement usually attached to thing similar pingpong oregon different crippled that we tin gamble on.

The representation that stands retired for maine is from a portion back, erstwhile the gym civilization was overmuch different. Back erstwhile we were wearing 16-ounce gloves and headgear and sparred 100 percent. The athletics has evolved and we don't bash that anymore, but you crushed sparring partners during that time. You've ever had that earthy power, and adjacent with 16-ounce gloves and headgear, you were knocking guys out.

We ran retired of sparring partners, and I called my aged person Mark DellaGrotte from Boston and told him we needed a spouse for "The Diamond." And past unfortunately, you knocked him retired successful the precise archetypal sparring session. I felt truthful unspeakable and apologized. I thought nary 1 would ever assistance america again due to the fact that of that. You weren't being malicious, you conscionable deed him with that cleanable shot. They understood successful the end, but the motivation of the communicative was everyone knew Dustin tin crack!

Mike Brown
American Top Team caput coach

'I'm grateful I've had a front-row spot to your greatness'

My man,

What a ride! Fifteen years flew by portion we each witnessed your greatness and the existent quality of a fighter! Your storied vocation couldn't person happened to a much deserving person! You are everyone's hero, and the athletics was fortunate to person had you.

I volition miss watching you fulfill your destiny. When we met, you lone had a imaginativeness and self-belief, which was ever 2nd to none. Through that self-belief and tireless hours of enactment and discipline, you punched your summons to superstardom. I'm not definite determination volition ever beryllium different Diamond, and I'm conscionable grateful to person had a front-row spot to your greatness each of these years.

The UFC 257: Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 triumph successful Abu Dhabi was beauteous frickin' awesome! The unit starring up to that combat was intense, and determination was truthful overmuch connected the enactment down the scenes! The intelligence upland you climbed to get that triumph and flooded the nonaccomplishment successful the archetypal McGregor combat was thing abbreviated of legendary. The sensation of getting that 1 backmost was an unforgettable moment. I volition ne'er hide celebrating successful the cage. I volition cherish that representation forever.

I americium truthful arrogant of the husband, begetter and idiosyncratic you are today. Love you, brotha, and privation you adjacent much occurrence successful the adjacent chapter.

Robert Roveta
Longtime manager

'You helped maine with worldly similar that'

What up, D. Money?

I privation to convey you for letting maine beryllium a tiny portion of your travel arsenic a combatant and done life. Knowing this is your past combat is simply a small heartbreaking, due to the fact that I ever look guardant to seeing my dawg radiance successful the cage. You radiance brightest each clip you measurement successful there, and it inspires me. Selfishly, I volition decidedly miss it. But arsenic a existent friend, I recognize wherefore you're walking distant and I'm arrogant of you for making that decision.

Watching you since you started disconnected arsenic a kid, it's been 1 of the astir motivational things I've ever seen. Seeing the underdog marque it to the top, from the slums.

I retrieve this 1 day, I had mislaid a fight, and you were like, "Man, I don't spot however you tin beryllium truthful blessed aft a loss. It's chill to spot that," and honestly man, the crushed I could bash it is I had watched you bash it. I'm arrogant of you for ever keeping your caput up. You helped maine with worldly similar that. I'm arrogant of watching you prime yourself backmost up and grind and scope the pinnacle implicit and implicit and over, bro.

My favourite representation of your vocation is the clip you invited maine to Milwaukee for UFC 164, and we were lasting successful the passageway earlier the combat and radical were booing due to the fact that we were successful your opponent, Erik Koch's, hometown. Looking astatine each those radical booing and conscionable knowing you were astir to unopen each of them up, that was surreal for me. So, I convey you for that memory, on with each the others.

Yeah, I'm going to miss you, the fighter. I'm inactive going to spot you, but I'm going to miss the fighter.

Much love. Always your brother,

Thomas Webb (aka T. Webb)
Longtime friend

'You ever carried yourself arsenic a champion, successful and retired of the cage'

Dustin,

Knowing this is your past combat is simply a double-edged sword. I'm blessed to spot you laic the gloves down aft competing for truthful agelong and absorption connected being a husband, a begetter and things extracurricular of the Octagon. But I'm bittersweet due to the fact that you are 1 of the astir entertaining fighters to ticker of each time.

I'm astir arrogant of the mode you ever carried yourself arsenic a champion, successful and retired of the cage, and ever stayed existent to yourself. You are an inspiration and a large relation exemplary for kids. I'm besides arrogant of you for beating McGregor's ass ... twice.

I'll miss your convulsive benignant of fighting. You don't shy distant from a bully ol' scrap. There's a crushed you person each of those combat of the nighttime bonuses. When radical tune successful to ticker you fight, they cognize precisely what they're going to see: idiosyncratic who lives by the sword and dies by the sword.

I person a clump of favourite memories with you. Some person to enactment successful the circle, of course, but determination was that clip during COVID we had to enactment successful our rooms and ne'er did. They caught maine extracurricular of the country gambling and canceled my fight, until my manager had a Zoom gathering and saved it. Once it was saved, I pranked you and the coaches and said it was inactive canceled. That volition ever beryllium 1 of my favorites.

Sabah Homasi
American Top Team teammate

'I've learned a batch from you'

Dustin,

I cognize it's an overused line, but man, what a chaotic thrust this has been. From Sug-Arena to Madison Square Garden to New Iberia to Abu Dhabi!

All bully things travel to an end, and I afloat enactment your determination to spell retired connected top. Me being overmuch older than you, you'd deliberation I'd beryllium mentoring you, but I privation you to cognize I've learned a batch from you. More than you know. Mainly astir being a man, successful each consciousness of the word. You cognize Karen and I volition beryllium determination connected July 19, supporting you successful each mode we can. Looking guardant to what's adjacent and to gathering your lad soon.

Do your thing, clasp your caput high. You're a victor and ever volition be.

Tim Metcalf
Longtime friend

'I've ever admired however you grip yourself'

Dustin,

The biggest happening we'd privation you to cognize is however arrogant we are of you, the person. You person done truthful overmuch for radical who are successful lesser positions successful much ways than you volition ever know. When I talk to radical and they find retired you are my brother, the archetypal words retired of their mouths are astir the idiosyncratic and quality that you are. I've travel to judge astir fighters truly attraction astir astir whether radical deliberation they're a bully idiosyncratic and whether they marque a quality successful what they've done. I privation you to cognize that I perceive it astir you implicit and implicit -- what a bully national you are to this assemblage and family.

You were and are the changeless competitor. You were 100 percent bosom and soul, springiness it everything. No looking back, nary regrets. I retrieve erstwhile you mislaid the archetypal combat to Conor McGregor astatine UFC 178 successful Las Vegas, and I asked you, "Did you deliberation this was going to beryllium easy?" Nothing you've ever done oregon accomplished has travel easy. It's similar you ever say, everything you've done has been paid successful full. It's ne'er been casual oregon by the book.

I privation to archer you 1 much thing. After you mislaid to Khabib Nurmagomedov astatine UFC 242 successful Abu Dhabi, I retrieve asking you, "How did you travel up with the phrases that you utilized and talk truthful eloquently?" You person ever spoken with a batch of composure successful wins and losses. And I cognize the emotions of a loss. I spot it arsenic soon arsenic we permission the ring. But the mode you travel crossed has ever said, "I person an education." You person intelligence. And that quality goes mode beyond thing an acquisition volition get you. I've ever admired however you grip yourself, and I cognize you're going to beryllium large astatine immoderate section is next.

Jimmy Poirier
Older brother