Dana White: After UFC 302, Dustin Poirier can stay as long as he wants

NEWARK, N.J. – Dustin Poirier may or may not continue fighting, but one thing is certain: He’ll always have the doors open at the UFC.

The former interim UFC lightweight champion teased retirement following his defeat in his title fight against 155-pound cham Islam Makhachev. Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) was submitted by Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 302.

In his post-fight interview, Poirier said he was unsure if he wanted to continue fighting and said Saturday’s performance could’ve been the last time fans got to see him fight.

UFC CEO Dana White thinks it’s a personal decision, but is all in on Poirier continuing to fight – if that’s what he chooses to do.

“It’s up to him, it’s not up to me,” White said at the UFC 302 post-fight press conference. “He knows what he wants and what he doesn’t want. He knows how he felt, he knows how he feels right now, and that’s all up to him. Listen, he’s a star. He can stay here as long as he wants to.”

In terms of the performance itself, White was blown away with what he saw from both Makhachev and Poirier. Like many, White enjoyed their championship fight and thought Poirier had one of his best career performances.

“Incredible fight,” White said. “Both guys dug deep. It was an absolute war. Islam is tough as hell and talented, and he ate some big body shots tonight and took that elbow to the forehead. I thought that Poirier did an unbelievable job at stuffing takedowns and getting up when he was in nasty positions and getting out of that submission in the first round. You couldn’t ask for more for a main event title fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.