‘It’s Legends Only’

Dustin Poirier may get his wish to retire on Louisiana soil after all.

According to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend, the promotion is working on his planned retirement fight for summer of this year. Luckily for “The Diamond,” UFC matchmakers are taking his request into consideration and are targeting New Orleans as the official location.

Poirier, 36, has been competing under the UFC banner since 2011. The former featherweight contender moved up to 155 pounds back in 2015 and that’s when he really made a name for himself. “Diamond” turned in some of the best performances and Octagon wars the division has ever seen. This includes wins over the like of Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, Dan Hooker, and Michael Chandler.

Unfortunately for Poirier, all of his success inside of the Octagon never materialized into a UFC championship. The Louisiana native has had three separate chances to hoist UFC lightweight gold — including a recent matchup against current champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 last year which Poirier lost by fifth-round submission — but that hasn’t stopped the veteran contender from becoming one of the most beloved fighters on the roster.

Given Poirier’s track record and massive following, fight fans are eager to find out when his last UFC fight will be and against who. Poirier shed some light on his pending retirement earlier this week.

“It’s looking like summer, in New Orleans, is close to happening for my retirement fight.

“A PPV in New Orleans this summer is what I’m pushing for,” said Poirier in a recent interview with The Schmo.

So who might Poirier face in his final fight inside of the Octagon? A matchup against surging contender Paddy Pimblett has been rumored to be in the works, but “Diamond” has no interest at this time. Poirier acknowledges it’s an intriguing fight, but the three-time UFC lightweight title challenger wants his last trip to the cage to be against a fellow “legend.”

“That’s an interesting fight, but not for my retirement fight. It’s legends only man,” said Poirier during a recent sit down with Jim Rome.

This news first appeared on MMA Mania. Read the original article.