“Could be the last time” - Dustin Poirier reflects on how losing to Justin Gaethje at 35 led him to embrace Benoit Saint Denis fight week

Dustin Poirier's knockout loss against Justin Gaethje gave him a fresh perspective to deal with the stress that comes with fight week heading into the UFC 299 clash against Benoit Saint Denis.

At 35, Poirier is admittedly at the tail end of his career. The knockout loss to Gaethje in the UFC 291 rematch halted his momentum towards a potential third shot at the undisputed UFC lightweight title.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, 'The Diamond' said that it was difficult to process the loss to Gaethje because he felt his time in the sport was coming to an end.

However, it also enabled him to embrace the UFC 299 fight week, knowing that it could be one of the last few times that he would go through such an ordeal. Poirier said:

"I don't know how many more runs, how many more chances I have left. That's why I embraced this whole fight week. Even before the tunnel before I walked out, this training camp, I was just grateful for everything because every time I do this could be the last time and I just want to enjoy those feelings and those emotions."

Poirier also explained how he dealt with the stress of going through fight week, which typically involves a lot of media obligations, cutting weight and adding a few final touches as fight night draws closer. He added:

"I tried to put myself in a mind frame where I was just looking at things like an experience instead of, 'I have to do this interview. I have to do this workout.' I was looking at it from a third person, outside of myself, like I get to experience these things."

Catch Dustin Poirier's comments below (2:15):

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Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier could be the next potential UFC lightweight title fight

Dustin Poirier reinserted his name in the title picture with an impressive knockout win over Benoit Saint Denis in the UFC 299 co-main event. Following the victory, Poirier took to X and called out UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. He wrote:

"Islam in June."

Makhachev's response to the callout suggested that he was interested in the challenge. While interacting with a fan, the champion explained why he accepted Poirier's challenge:

"Want to fight brotha, no more wait."

Speaking further during the same interview, Dustin Poirier said that he had injured his ribs while training for the Saint Denis fight but claimed that he could get ready to fight Makhachev by June.

Meanwhile, the UFC has announced that the upcoming UFC 300 fight between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan will be a title eliminator bout.