Dustin Poirier on Charles Oliveira bout: ‘Somebody’s going to get banged up bad, probably’

Dustin Poirier tells Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole that he knows what he needs to do against lightweight champion Charles Oliveira on Saturday at UFC 269, but that sticking to the game plan isn’t that simple.

Video Transcript

KEVIN IOLE: Hey, everybody. I am Kevin Iole. And not only one of good guys in MMA, but also one of the great fighters in the world-- number two the Yahoo Sports Pound for Pound list-- he is back in action. And for the first time, he is hoping to become the UFC lightweight champion. Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 269 faces Charles Oliveira. It should be a great fight. Dustin, welcome. I appreciate you. What are you thinking about this big event with Oliveira?

DUSTIN POIRIER: I'm excited, man. I'm just trying to stay focused 'cause there's a ping-pong tournament going on right on the side of me.

KEVIN IOLE: So you're not a dual-sport athlete? Like, you're not gonna get off this and go run over and show those guys up are you?

DUSTIN POIRIER: Oh, for sure I will. Oh, yeah.

KEVIN IOLE: Ping-pong is one of your sports too, hey?

DUSTIN POIRIER: It is when I come out here and we're just sitting around, fight week, killing time you know.

KEVIN IOLE: I gotta imagine that's gotta be the worst thing. You don't want to be dreaming about the fight and thinking about the fight 24/7, and you're sitting in a hotel room basically stuck. That must drive you crazy.

DUSTIN POIRIER: It used to. And now we're at an Airbnb so we have a little bit more room. All my coaches have their own bedrooms, and we have a full kitchen and /dryer. So it's a little more convenient than being stuck in a tiny hotel room. But yeah, you know, you're pretty much showing up to UFC check-ins and check weights and interview stuff and sitting around for a week, waiting for the big fight, cutting weight. So your mind has a lot of downtime. And that could be dangerous if you don't control it.

KEVIN IOLE: No doubt. Has it been hard? You know, you went through to Conor McGregor promotions recently, obviously three altogether. But now here you are with Oliveira and you still got Conor piping in and chirping up. And how do you avoid that distraction of not responding and not getting sucked up into all that stuff that he's trying to do given Oliveira is a huge threat to you?

DUSTIN POIRIER: I guess I'm doing the right thing 'cause this is news to me. I'm staying off of social media. I don't go on social media. I have a team that runs my social media when I'm doing fight week. And yeah, that's it-- out of sight, out of mind.

KEVIN IOLE: Sure. You know, as you go into this fight, Oliveira doesn't have the name that McGregor has. But he's on a nine-fight winning streak. And anytime you win five or more in the UFC, it means you're an elite fighter. And the thing that amazes me, and I wanted to get your comment on this, is how many different ways he wins his fights. Not only is he-- he's had knockouts and submissions. But I think he's had every type of submission you can have-- calf slicer, rear naked choke, arm bar. Does that versatility make him even more difficult to fight, knowing he can get you in any way?

DUSTIN POIRIER: It's mixed martial arts. He just does them all very well. I expect those things in my opponents, to be able to do everything. The sport's evolved and progressed so much in the past few years that there's no more of that stylistic "this guy is a grappler versus a striker." MMA has become its own martial art. And you have to evolve and be able to do everything to be relevant now. So yeah, he's been around a long time, and his game is rounded.

KEVIN IOLE: When you look back-- both of you guys, when you look back eight years ago or so around the time say you fought the Zombie or Conor or whatever, in that first time-- and sort of the same thing to him-- he was more up and down than you were. But do you-- could you see he was gonna be a factor down the road? I mean, could you see that talent as you were a young fighter coming up, watching him come up alongside you? Did you--

DUSTIN POIRIER: I had no clue that he would be a factor or I would be involved with him in this big of a fight, a world title fight. But definitely, I was always watching him. And he showed flashes of brilliance in a lot of different performances, pulled off some amazing submissions. And yeah, so he's always had highlights out there throughout the years of doing some awesome things. So he's always been a guy that I've watched.

KEVIN IOLE: Well, what is it that makes him so dangerous, I mean, compared to where he was before? You know, he'd struggle to make weight. He would lose fights you thought he was gonna win. Now, all of a sudden, you look at that fight with Chandler. I mean, he's almost finished. He gets up and he takes care of Chandler. I mean, in your opinion, what is it that makes Charles so dangerous?

DUSTIN POIRIER: His ability to finish the fight anywhere it goes. He's dangerous at all times. You know? That's just it, and his experience.

KEVIN IOLE: Interesting. From your standpoint, this is a third fight in a year. If this was a big fight, but not a title fight, would you be doing this? Would you be just taking time off? I mean, because guys of your stature at this point in your career, a lot of times only fight twice a year. This is your third time this year. Is it the title that motivated you to come back in 2021 one more time?

DUSTIN POIRIER: Of course. Winning the belt is my ultimate goal. It's at the top of the list of things to do in mixed martial arts, and I need to check that box. So this is very important to me.

KEVIN IOLE: When you won the interim title, I remember that night in, I think it was, Atlanta if I'm not mistaken-- and how proud you were. And I mean, you just let out a scream when you had the belt around your waist. Did you know, though, it's not the title? I mean did you feel-- was there a different feeling, you think?

DUSTIN POIRIER: I don't know. I have to win the belt Saturday. And then you'd have to ask me that question again.

KEVIN IOLE: Saturday night, we'll get you on that one. But you went up against Khabib for the title, right? So I mean, as you were fighting that fight, did it seem any different to you than, say, the Max Holloway fight did from [INAUDIBLE]?

DUSTIN POIRIER: No. They both felt like world title fights to me.

KEVIN IOLE: OK, interesting. How do you perceive the fight going? I mean, you know what he likes to do. You know what you like to do. What kind of fight can we expect?

DUSTIN POIRIER: Two guys who don't play the point game, two guys who try to finish each other. It's gonna be an exciting fight. Somebody's gonna get banged up bad probably.

KEVIN IOLE: Yeah. And when you fight Conor last time, I mean, you could have played the point game. And you went at him. I mean, I think that was the thing that a lot of people took out of that fight. Dustin Poirier's become a killer in there. I think, you know, maybe that's how you always were a little bit. But now at the highest level, you're kind of that elite finisher.

DUSTIN POIRIER: I try to, man. I try to get these guys out of there. You know, these guys are so dangerous. But honestly, for this fight, I feel like fourth, fifth round-- if it goes that far-- that would be in my favor. You know, so maybe I shouldn't hit the gas crazy early. Maybe I should be cautious and-- but we'll see. You know, I know what I should do. And then sometimes I don't do it.

KEVIN IOLE: How do you think, you know-- so you're obviously-- we've talked a lot about The Good Fight Foundation, one of the most charitable lives in-- not just in the UFC, but in all the sports. And some of the things that you've done to help less fortunate people have been amazing. Becoming and having the visibility that comes with being a UFC champion, what is that gonna do for your charitable efforts do you think?

DUSTIN POIRIER: I hope it'll be huge. I mean, I'm amazed at what we've accomplished already with the foundation. But having that title next to my name is only gonna open more doors. You know? It's only gonna open more doors and help more people. And at the end of the day, that's very, very important to me. You know, I'm gonna go out there and fight. And as much as I can stack on my back and bring into these fights with me to benefit others, to give somebody a reason to smile, that's what I want to do.

KEVIN IOLE: Do you know how much you guys have given away since you started doing this?

DUSTIN POIRIER: I mean, my wife I'd have to ask to get the exact numbers. But I would assume around a million dollars or more.

KEVIN IOLE: Wow. I mean, that has to be-- from a kid that came up from a poor background and everything, to being where you are now, I mean, that has to blow you away when you think about it. You've gotta be awfully proud of what you've been able to accomplish.

DUSTIN POIRIER: I definitely am. I'm very proud of it and thankful that I recognize the platform I have. I just realized the position I was in and used it. But not the monetary numbers that I'm proud of, it's the people I talk to that have been directly affected by the foundation in some way. You know, I know it's not all in vain. Everything we've done with the foundation has been right. And like I said, I'm just thankful to realize the position I'm in with it.

KEVIN IOLE: You know, is there any-- and I don't want to put you on the spot, 'cause I didn't tell you I was gonna ask you this. But is there any one story that sticks out to you, like a heart-wrenching story and something that you were able to do to change the life around that you could share?

DUSTIN POIRIER: I mean, there's a few of them. But one that comes to mind is right before I left for this last training camp, we were doing back to school pick-up, backpacks filled with school supplies for the year for local schools in Louisiana. And it was a drive-thru line-- obviously, COVID and everything. The cars would pull up, and we'd put the backpacks in the car.

And there was a couple of goals-- a goal-- we built a playground for disabled children at a school. And in the back of this car, there was a kid who was disabled. I saw his crutches and stuff. And they rolled the window down to put the backpacks in, and he told me thank you. I used to not be able to play, and now I can play at recess. I think he was paralyzed. And that right there, I could tell in his eyes-- that was a pretty incredible moment for me.

KEVIN IOLE: Great as it feels to get your hand raised in a fight, I'm sure that was a lot better knowing what you did there.

DUSTIN POIRIER: Yeah, man. I'm just thankful. Gratitude, I live in gratitude for sure.

KEVIN IOLE: Final question. You know, assuming you win the championship on Saturday-- I know that's a big if. And I'm not sliding Charles when I ask you that question. But how much longer do you want to do this? Because what else is out there for Dustin Poirier? If you've become the champion, you've beaten the big stars in the sport, an interim title, now you would have a full title, how much longer do you go at this and put your family through fight week?

DUSTIN POIRIER: Ooh. I still feel good. You know, I'm 32. I definitely have fights left. But I'm not sure, man. I'm not really sure.

KEVIN IOLE: Well, selfishly, I hope that you keep it going a long time, because I enjoy watching you fight, my man. Dustin Poirier, UFC 269 on Saturday, live on pay-per-view against Charles Oliveira. Dustin, thank you so much, my friend.

DUSTIN POIRIER: Thank you.

KEVIN IOLE: Be well.