When Dustin Poirier first stepped into the UFC octagon in 2011, the roster of champions featured prominent figures like Cain Velasquez, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Frankie Edgar.
Remarkably, aside from Jon Jones and Jose Aldo, every champion who held a title when Poirier debuted is now either retired or no longer competing in the promotion. As the 36-year-old veteran gets ready for what is expected to be his final bout, scheduled against Max Holloway at UFC 318 in July, Poirier acknowledges that he is preparing to hand over the reins to the next wave of fighters, much like the legends before him did upon his arrival.
“I think we`re in a changing of the guard,” Poirier commented during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “I got to see the era before me that I was growing up [watching], I was a fan of these guys like Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn, Chuck Liddell.”
He continued, “I got to kind of see that get transitioned out to this new era. I think we’re going through a little bit of that now.”
While a few older athletes like Alexander Volkanovski are still managing impressive feats – Volkanovski recently became the first fighter over 35 to reclaim a title at 155 pounds or below at UFC 314 – the majority of competitors in that age range are approaching the conclusion of their fighting careers.
Poirier has been hinting at retirement plans for quite some time, but he was firm about wanting one more fight before officially stepping away. This final contest is now set to take place in his home state of Louisiana when UFC 318 heads to New Orleans.
He understood this moment would eventually arrive and suspects that other prominent UFC veterans are in a similar position and will likely join him in retirement before long.
“I’m on my way out. Justin Gaethje’s on his way out,” Poirier stated, listing examples. “Kamaru Usman has a few left. It’s a changing of the guard right now.”
As veterans like Poirier and Gaethje near the end of their competitive paths, the subsequent generation of fighters is definitely establishing themselves, with rising talents such as Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett making significant strides.
