Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is unsure of what his fighting future holds following his third-round submission defeat to current champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 on Saturday night.
Poirier spoke with the media in the post-fight press conference following the event and gave his initial reaction to suffering yet another submission loss in a title fight, while also addressing what could be the next move for his career. The 32-year old Lafayette, Louisiana native remains confident he can win a world title if he wants to, but wants to sit with the decision for a while and really see if he desires climbing back up the UFC's 155-pound ladder to earn another title shot.
"It sucks, man, you know?" Poirier said. (h/t MMA Junkie). "I worked hard to get back here and fight for another world title. I got choked out again. I’m just heartbroken, really. The guy is good, man. He’s the champ. There’s such a small room for error in these fights. I felt good. After the first round, sitting on my stool, going into the second, drinking water and thinking, ‘I’m going to be the world champion tonight,’ it’s just such a crazy thing that we do. I can do anything I put my mind to. I can fight for another belt. I can go on another streak. I can claw and climb and get back to wherever I want to be. It’s just, ‘Do I want to?’ That’s the question I’ve got to look in the mirror and answer. Do I want to do it again? Do I want to go down that road again? That answer will come in the next couple days or couple weeks. I just need to let this pass and see what’s next for me, but if it’s in my heart and that’s what I want to do, I’ll be here fighting for another world title.”
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