Dustin Poirier fondly looks back at his first UFC victory

Dustin Poirier has harked back to his first UFC victory on its 12th anniversary. 'The Diamond' made his UFC debut in a featherweight bout against Josh Grispi at UFC 125 on January 1st, 2011. The fight witnessed Poirier defeat Grispi via unanimous decision.

In the ensuing years, Poirier went on to compete at both featherweight and lightweight inside the octagon. To this day, the Louisiana native continues to fight in the UFC. The 33-year-old notably captured the interim UFC lightweight championship in April 2019. Poirier did so by defeating then-UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway via unanimous decision in their rematch at lightweight.

However, Poirier failed to win the undisputed UFC lightweight title, losing to then-UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov via third-round submission in September 2019. He received another shot at the undisputed belt in December 2021 but came up short yet again — losing to then-UFC lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira via third-round submission.

Regardless, Poirier has earned widespread praise over the course of his storied MMA career, not only for his incredible performances but also for his longevity in the UFC.

On that note, Dustin Poirier has now put forth an Instagram post, addressing the completion of 12 years since his first UFC victory. The post featured an image of himself celebrating his win against Grispi. Poirier also attached a statement to the post, which read as follows:

"12 years ago today I got my first Win in the @ufc Time flies! #PaidInFull #ElDiamante"

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Jon Anik explains why Dustin Poirier's legacy is secure despite not winning undisputed UFC gold

Dustin Poirier boasts a professional MMA record of 29 wins, 7 losses and 1 NC (No Contest). Meanwhile, his UFC record stands at 21 wins, 6 losses and 1 NC. 'El Diamante' is coming off a thrilling third-round submission win over Michael Chandler in November 2022. Poirier's next opponent and exact comeback date hasn't been officially announced yet.

UFC commentator Jon Anik discussed Dustin Poirier's legacy during a recent interview with MMA Fighting. He opined that although the former interim UFC lightweight champion hasn't won an undisputed UFC belt, he's undoubtedly an MMA great. Lauding Poirier for his UFC career and his recent win over Chandler in their lightweight bout, Anik stated:

"Dustin Poirier is incredible, and I don’t think he needs an undisputed UFC lightweight championship to prove any sort of greatness. This was a difficult matchup [for Poirier] in a lot of respects. Michael Chandler’s explosivity is a problem for a lot of people, and maybe if Chandler makes a little bit of a different decision at times in this fight, the narrative flips."

Watch Jon Anik discuss the topic at 16:40 in the video below: