Dustin Poirier was not able to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242. Post-fight, the latest UFC lightweight title challenger has made no secret of how much this loss stings. In fact, he even hinted that he may not fight again in one of his post-fight social media posts.
“Thank you guys for the support, it means a lot to me,” Poirier said in a video posted to social media. “If I choose to fight again, I’ll be back strong. If not I’ll see what God has in store for me.”
Despite this comment, it’s sounding more and more like Poirier will continue to fight. Speaking on his official Instagram account on Monday, the former interim lightweight champ assured that he’s down but not out.
“Didn’t get the result I wanted Saturday. This is what happens sometimes when you’re chasing greatness. I gave this my all. I’m down but not out.
Thank you to everyone for the kind messages and support. It means the world to me. This one really hurts. It’s a hurt that I’m very familiar with…” – Dustin Poirier on Instagram.
As Poirier states in this post, this loss to Nurmagomedov has been a difficult one to swallow. He also touched on this subject at the UFC 242 post-fight press conference.
“I’m familiar with adversity,” Poirier said at the UFC 242 post-fight press conference (via MMA Fighting). “It’s just I have to live the rest of my life asking myself if I could have done more, if I could have maybe escaped some of those takedowns. If I could have pushed harder when I had my underhooks against the fence.
“Those are the questions that will haunt me. I’ve lost before.”
What do you think is next for Dustin Poirier after UFC 242?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/9/2019.