Dustin Poirier reveals he sustained broken nose, broken rib and partially torn ACL vs. Islam Makhachev at UFC 302
Dustin Poirier showed plenty of heart at UFC 302, but his body paid the price.
The fan favorite revealed Wednesday that his fight against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, which Makhachev won via fifth-round submission, left him with a broken nose, a broken rib and a partially torn ACL.
Which Poirier chalked up to "fight life."
Nose is broken bad, rib is broken and my ACL is partially torn.
FIGHT LIFE ⚔️— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) June 5, 2024
For a few rounds, it looked like Poirier was nearing a massive upset. He was overmatched in the first round, getting taken down early and fighting for his life to prevent a rear naked choke or arm triangle, but found his groove in the second round. Makhachev still outlanded him 88-74 in significant strikes, but the champion was showing some damage with a bloody cut on his forehead.
The threat was ended in the fifth round, when Makhachev worked his grappling magic to find a D'arce choke and leave Poirier barely conscious on the mat.
The bout was Poirier's third and potentially final shot at the UFC lightweight belt, having also lost via submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Poirier, now 35 years old with 40 professional MMA fights to his name, openly speculated he could call it a career soon.
"If I do fight again, what am I fighting for? Just to fight? I've done that 50 times," Poirier said in his postfight interview. "I don't know. I've got a little girl I love, I gotta see. I think this could be it, honestly."
At the very least, Poirier won't be fighting any time soon, as he received an indefinite medical suspension from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board on Tuesday. He will not be allowed to fight until he receives clearance from an ENT doctor for his nose and an orthopedist for his left knee.
Makhachev, meanwhile, will be required to sit out at least 30 days to heal his facial laceration.