Dustin Poirier has already established himself as perhaps the UFC’s most charitable fighter. He’s got the recognition to prove it, but in his mind this is just the start of what’s possible.
Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) has spent the past several years using his platform to give back through his non-profit charity, The Good Fight Foundation. It all started relatively small, with Poirier opting to auction off his fight-worn gear so he could purchase backpacks with school supplies for children in his community of Lafayette, La.
As Poirier’s success inside the octagon has flourished, though, his opportunities for philanthropy outside the cage have grown, too.
Poirier, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, is not content to rest on his laurels. “The Diamond” wants his charity to keep trending upward, and he has a grand vision that involves other fighters doing for their respective communities what he’s trying to do for his.
“I would like to start being a platform where others fighters can do things in their hometowns,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “Me and The Good Fight Foundation have done things outside of Louisiana, but obviously I grew up here in Lafayette, so the bulk of the things we do are in my local, immediate community. But I would love for other fighters across combat sports, not even just mixed martial arts, but boxers – whoever feels in their heart they can benefit their community to auction things off to The Good Fight or to team up with us for goals and raise money and raise awareness for their fights for goals in their local communities. I think that The Good Fight Foundation could be across combat sports, and do a lot of great things for local communities of other fighters.”
In the past, charity goals around Poirier’s fights have included building water wells to repair a ruined water supply at an orphanage and school in Uganda, building a playground for special-needs children, and more.
Poirier’s most recent fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 257 involved one of his more significant goals to date. His foundation teamed up with The Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana to “help bridge the gap in academic success by providing transportation and tutoring” in what is called “Project Learn.”
The goal of “Project Learn” was to provide transportation and tutoring for children from multiple different areas who have had their education limited through the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The financial benchmark to complete that goal was high, he admitted, but through multiple avenues including the auction of his UFC 257 fight kit – which sold for $26,200 on eBay – Poirier said another goal is trending toward reality.
“I think our crowdfunding, we were hoping to raise $105,000 or $107,000 for The Boys & Girls Club,” Poirier said. “That’s what they told us and gave us the metrics that was going to cost for the tutors and the transportation to their six locations. We told them, ‘Hey, let’s set this big goal and let’s make it happen.’ As of right now I think we have close to $60,000 or $70,000 raised towards that goal. It’s not reflected on the crowdfunding page because there was a lot of donations that came in through PayPal and also straight to our The Good Fight Foundation account.
“Any donations given to The Good Fight in the past, since we announced the goal, we’re just going to move those funds into the crowd funding account so it can be reflected and we can see how much money we raise for that particular goal. I think for sure we have like $30,000 that needs to be moved over to that goal, then the fight kit is going to sell, then Michael Chiesa is going to donate (his fight kit from UFC on ESPN 20). The traction is amazing and 100 percent we’re going to hit this goal.”
Poirier’s efforts have resonated for more than just himself. For his UFC 242 title unification fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov exchanged walkout shirts with Poirier after they shared the octagon and both sold for a pretty penny. McGregor donated a whopping $500,000 to Poirier’s charity around their UFC 257 rematch, and Poirier has a pecific idea in mind for that money.
It’s Poirier’s desire to put McGregor’s donation toward building a gym in Lafayette that will serve as a home to teaching combat sports to struggling youth. It’s a plan that’s slowly coming together, Poirier said, but there are many hurdles to deal with before it’s a standing and fully operational facility.
.@DustinPoirier once again uses his fighting platform on Saturday to do good for the world through @TheGoodFightFDN. #UFC257 | @MikeBohnMMA‘s interview: https://t.co/dS91xREZXC pic.twitter.com/KBH1Gxokam
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) January 20, 2021
“With the gym and something of that magnitude and all the moving parts, especially building something with children, there’s so many things that have to be locked and done right and there’s just a lot of things to tie up,” Poirier said. “That process is going to take some time.”
For now, though, Poirier is going to keep striving. His fighting career has never had more traction than right now, and although he’s stunned at how far things have come, he said it’s his complete intention to keep parlaying it into more.
“I’m honestly blown away at how much traction the foundation’s got and how much it’s grown over the last few years,” Poirier said. “There’s so many huge ups and positive about the position I’m in now. My charity, just so many things. My platform with The Good Fight Foundation. I have so many good things going on right now. I’m very thankful and grateful to be in the position I’ve fought myself into and I’m entering my prime. I have lots of great fights left in me.”
You can donate at TheGoodFightGroup.com, or go to FightForTheForgotten.com and donate straight to the cause.
Dustin Poirier ‘blown away’ by The Good Fight Foundation’s success, and that’s just the start