Dustin Poirier has suffered a heartbreaking loss to Charles Oliveira earlier in the day. UFC 269 saw the lightweight champion Oliveira defend his belt for the first time in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card started off with Sean O’Malley knocking out Raulian Paiva.
Geoff Neal won against Santiago Ponzinibbio via unanimous decision. Amanda Nunes was up next as she was slated to defend her 135 lbs pound title against Julianna Peña. Probably in the upset of the decade, Peña hurt Nunes in the second round with punches and defeated her via submission.
In the main event of the card, Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier engaged in a slugfest. The fight was extremely chaotic in the first round. Dustin Poirier landed big shots after big shots. He dropped the champion multiple times and had tremendous success while ground and pounding.
???? @DustinPoirier just donated $20,000 to a hometown charity of @CharlesDoBronxs choice.
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) December 12, 2021
Being a champion doesn’t begin and end with twelve pounds of gold. #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/y4AElHBkX4
But Charles Oliveira came out with a different game plan in the second round. He did not stand in front of the Louisiana native. Oliveira changed level very soon and took the challenger down. He dominated Dustin Poirier in the second round and choked him out in the third to complete his first title defence.
What’s Next for Dustin Poirier?
Dustin Poirier has become one of the biggest stars in the sport of MMA after his dominance over Conor McGregor. UFC 269 was his second chance at fighting for the belt. But following the defeat, the question becomes what will the future hold for the 32-year old. There are a few options for Poirier out there, let’s take a look at potential fights for ‘El Diamante.’
Conor McGregor is the most logical fight for Dustin Poirier to take after the defeat. The third fight between the two ended unceremoniously. Conor McGregor insists that there is unfinished business between the two. Hence, a fourth fight might be a lucrative option for Poirier.
How Conor let Dp fuck him up hella times he sucks ????♂️
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) December 12, 2021
Nate Diaz is someone that Dustin Poirier wanted to fight for a long time now. The pair were matched up as the co-main event for UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden. But Dustin Poirier had to pull out of the fight due to an injury. But they have gone back and forth since then and this will be a perfect time for the two to be matched up.
Colby Covington might sound like the outside pick for the man to fight Dustin Poirier next. But there is a long history between the two as they were teammates at one point. But the relationship soured after Covington made wild allegations against the gym American Top Team. Covington has called out Dustin repeatedly and this might be a good time to settle the beef in the octagon.