UFC star Dustin Poirier names three lightweight fights to ‘keep the division moving’ after he retires

Dustin Poirier is retiring from MMA at UFC 318 on July 19, and he’s going to leave a big hole in the lightweight division.

Poirier, a former interim champ, will go down as one of the best lightweights in MMA history, having been a staple of the division’s top-10 for years. In his retirement fight, he’ll take on fellow legend Max Holloway — with the novelty “BMF” title on the line.

Poirier has definitely earned the right to ride off into the sunset, but fans will miss him when he goes. The good news is that he has a few ideas for big fights to make once he’s hung up the gloves.

Dustin Poirier names three fights he wants to see at lightweight

Poirier got to talking about matchmaking during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show.

He would like to see former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria get the next crack at lightweight king Islam Makhachev. Meanwhile, he would like to see surging British contender Paddy Pimblett take on New Zealand veteran Dan Hooker, and his fellow lightweight legend Justin Gaethje fight top contender Arman Tsarukyan or his training partner Mateusz Gamrot.

“Put [Ilia] in there with Islam [Makhachev],” he said. “Let Paddy [Pimblett] and [Dan] Hooker fight. Give [Justin] Gaethje Arman [Tsarukyan] or [Mateusz] Gamrot, or something like that. Keep the division moving.”

Poirier’s retirement fight will serve as the UFC 318 main event.

The fight will be his third with Holloway. He won both previous encounters. He beat Holloway by submission in the first fight, at featherweight. Years later, he beat Holloway by decision to become the interim lightweight champ. While he never claimed the division’s undisputed belt, he challenged for it three times, giving tough challenges to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira, and most recently, Makhachev. His official record stands at 30-9 – but apparently that’s not totally accurate.

What do you think of the fights he suggested for the lightweight division?