Dustin Poirier was born on January 19, 1989, in Lafayette, Louisiana. He is of Acadian French ancestry and especially has Cajun roots. He briefly attended Northside High School before dropping out in the ninth grade as a result of ongoing problems and street scraps.
In 2009, Poirier started competing professionally. He swiftly amassed a 7-0 record while competing mostly in local promotions across his home Louisiana and the Southern United States. The film ‘Fightville’ shows glimpses of Poirier’s early MMA career in Louisiana.
In August 2010 at WEC 50, Poirier made his WEC debut. He lost to Danny Castillo by unanimous decision.
World Extreme Cagefighting and the Ultimate Fighting Championship united in October 2010 to become the Ultimate Fighting Championship. All WEC competitors were moved to the UFC as part of the merger.
Newly minted UFC featherweight champion José Aldo was scheduled to face Josh Grispi in his first defence at UFC 125 after the merger. In November 2010, Aldo faced a back injury and had to leave the match. Poirier consented to take the stage and compete against Grispi. Poirier ended up winning the match via unanimous decision.
In December 2012, Poirier used the D’arce Choke to beat Jonathan Brookins in the TUF 16 finale.
At UFC 164 in August 2013, Poirier competed against Erik Koch. Throughout the match, Poirier hit Koch. He ended up knocking him to the ground with a punch towards the conclusion of round one and almost ending it. Poirier ultimately won the match by unanimous decision.
In September 2014, Poirier and Conor McGregor squared off at UFC 178. He was defeated in the first round by TKO. Poirier moved up to the lightweight category after the defeat. Poirier said that it was because his weight cutting efforts were distracting him from working out. Additionally, he said that he wouldn’t ever return to featherweight or move up to welterweight.
In April 2015, Poirier competed against Carlos Diego Ferreira in a lightweight match at UFC Fight Night 63. He ended up winning the match via knock out in the first round. The victory also brought Poirier his first Performance of the Night bonus.
At UFC 199, Poirier’s opponent was Bobby Green. He won the match via knockout in the first round.
In February 2017, Poirier competed against Jim Miller at UFC 208. Miller seemed to be harmed when Poirier struck him into the fence. Miller kicked Poirier’s legs repeatedly in response. Later, Miller attempted a kimura but failed after sweeping Poirier into the mat. Poirier ended up winning the back-and-forth match via unanimous decision. However, was placed on indefinite suspension because of injuries incurred during the bout.
Poirier competed against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 211 in May 2017 after his suspension. While Poirier was pressed up against the fence, Alvarez hit two illegal knees, dropping Poirier. Referee Herb Dean ruled the bout a No Contest because the Texas commission was not using the new unified rules.
In April 2018, Poirier and Justin Gaethje squared off at UFC on Fox 29. He ended up winning the match via TKO in the fourth round.
At UFC 236, Poirier competed for the interim UFC lightweight title against UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. He won the competitive math by unanimous decision to claim the title and snap Holloway’s winning run of thirteen matches.
In September 2019 at UFC 242, Poirier competed against the unbeaten UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He ended up losing the match rear-naked choke submission in the third round.
In June 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker, Poirier competed against Dan Hooker. He ended up winning the match via unanimous judgement. Additionally, the match was hailed as one of the best bouts of the year.
Poirier competed against Conor McGregor in a rematch of their 2014 encounter at UFC 257 in January 2021. He became the first competitor to beat McGregor by knockout in an MMA match when he won the match through technical knockout in the second round.
The third meeting between Poirier and McGregor took place at UFC 264 in July 2021. McGregor’s fractured tibia prevented him from continuing. The ringside doctor halted the match in the first round, giving Poirier the victory by technical knockout.
In December 2021 at UFC 269, Poirier competed against Charles Oliveira for the UFC Lightweight Championship. In the third round, he was submitted with a standing rear-naked choke and lost the match.
On November 12, 2022, Poirier and Michael Chandler squared off at UFC 281. Poirier submitted Chandler in the third round via rear-naked choke to win the bout.
Poirier and Justin Gaethje will square off on July 29, 2023, at UFC 291. They will be competing for the symbolic BMF belt.
Poirier is a black belt under Tim Credeur in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. But from the beginning of his UFC career, he has mostly used his skill in the striking arts to defeat opponents.
Dustin Poirier collaborated with the Canadian business Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co. to launch his brand-new Cajun hot sauce line, ‘Poirier’s Louisiana Style.’ A special ‘Heatonist K.O.’ edition was also made available in July 2021.
Poirier still spends most of his time in Lafayette with his wife and kid, but he relocates to South Florida before bouts to train at American Top Team. In 2016, the couple reportedly had their first child.
At the age of 14, Poirier received his first tattoo. His arms and chest are now covered with tattoos, including one on his chest that says ‘bushidō.’ This is Japanese and stands for “the way of warriors.”
