UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier catches up with FloCombat ahead of his Nov. 11 bout against Anthony Pettis at UFC Fight Night 120 in Norfolk, Virginia. The fan-favorite fighter discusses his controversial loss to Eddie Alvarez at UFC 211, his upcoming fight and where a win puts him in his career, and the potential to leave the UFC one day to explore options elsewhere. Spoiler: "The Diamond" is down.

On Controversial No-Contest vs. Eddie Alvarez At UFC 211

"You know, in that fight, everybody who watched it saw I whipped Eddie Alvarez, made him look like an amateur. I mean the guy was two steps behind, couldn’t keep up. And then he kneed me in the back of the head with a shot that was illegal. And in the heat of the moment, I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"I thought it could’ve been an accident. I thought he might’ve been hurt, you know, and he was in fight mode, survival mode, he was just fighting and he kneed me. I told the crowd in Dallas to stop booing him, stood up for the guy, then he came out on social media talking sh*t, saying I wanted out of the fight. Why would I want out of a fight that I was winning? I just don’t understand.

But him saying all the sh*t he said on social media kind of lets me know the kind of person he is, and now I think he might’ve kneed me on purpose. I think he knew what was going on and he was looking for a way out of the fight. [He] dodged a rematch, and all kinds of sh*t he did. I don’t know. It’s in the past now, but it’s just fu*ked up. 

"It was a great night. He was one fight removed, the former world champion. I was putting it on him. One of the best performances of my career, and then it gets tucked under the rug like this because some foul sh*t happens. Just go back and look at it. I know the UFC’s not going to play it on Fox Sports replays. They’re [probably not] going to use a bunch of highlights from it. They’re going to tuck it under the rug, but that was a great performance, man. I felt like I really looked good. I was in the fight. I was clear-headed. But that’s just to show what’s to come." 

Where A Win Over Anthony Pettis Puts Him 

"Well, I mean, Eddie Alvarez got a title shot with a win over Pettis. Max Holloway got a title shot with a win over Pettis. Unless they keep fu*king me over. I’ve been in this a long time, bro. This is going to be my 21st fight in the company. I’ve been fighting the best guys. I never turn down fights. I never miss weight. I never make excuses. I always show up to fight. Let’s go." 

Potential To Fight Outside The UFC? 

"I love fighting for the UFC. I grew up watching guys in the UFC. It was the biggest company that I know of for mixed martial arts. But as you get older, I have a family, I don’t know how long this window’s going to last. I’d like to fight until I’m 35, 36, we’ll see. But I might have two, three years -- I don’t know how many years I have left, so I gotta make the most money that I can right now.

And I’m not a guy who’s fighting for fame. I’m fighting because I love to fight and I got a family to feed. I’m a guy who, if I was given an opportunity, I would leave and go fight in ONE FC, go fight in a company you’ve never heard of to maximize my earning potential. I don’t care if you never read another headline about my name. If I’m collecting checks somewhere and putting on good fights for fans, that’s all I care about.

"I’m not fighting to get my name out there, to get TV deals, to get movie deals, to get big sponsorships. All that stuff is great. I would love all that stuff. But I’m fighting because I love fighting." 

Shifting Priorities

"Everything I do is for her [my daughter]. I want her to live a great life. I want her to go to college and not have to worry about anything. For her and my wife is why I fight. Also for myself, but things change as you get older. Priorities change. I do this for them.

"I want to fight smarter. I don’t want to take a lot of damage. I want to be there for my daughter her whole life, and that kind of stuff opens your eyes up. When I was a young fighter, I didn’t give a f*ck. But now I’m living for different reasons, for different things, and I want to be around and be aware. I want to remember my daughter walking down the aisle getting married one day. I want to be there for everything, you know? So a lot of things change. Different things are important, but fighting is still what I do, and I’m not trying to get away from it. I’m just trying to do it [with] a little bit more finesse." 

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