"They would still lose to Ilia" - Fans react to Dustin Poirier nearly teaming up with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev at AKA

Dustin Poirier has disclosed that he nearly teamed up with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev as he reached out to them after suffering a Round 4 submission defeat against Chan Sung Jung.

'The Diamond' is set to face Max Holloway at UFC 318 this weekend in what will be his retirement bout. He has enjoyed a lustrous career in the UFC, holding a record of 22-8 (1 NC) in the promotion. The highly anticipated showdown against 'Blessed' will also have the BMF title on the line, adding to the stakes as Poirier prepares to hang up his gloves.

Poirier has faced both 'The Eagle' and Makhachev for the lightweight championship, suffering submission losses in both bouts. However, he revealed that he once had the opportunity to train with them before ultimately finding his home at American Top Team. This was confirmed in a post by Red Corner MMA on X.

Check out the post below:

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

The post sparked several fan reactions. One user wrote:

"They would still lose to Ilia [Topuria]."

Others commented:

"Had this happened, there was no way Poirier would have lost to [Charles] Oliveira." "We wouldn't get Khabib vs. Dustin if that happened, or Makhachev vs. Dustin." "Khabib would've retired early to let Dustin become champ and Dustin would've done the same for Islam 😭." "He should have. Maybe he wouldn’t have been submitted in all 3 of his real title fights if he did."

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions. [Screenshots courtesy: @RedCorner_MMA on X]

---

Dustin Poirier's daughter pays wholesome tribute ahead of retirement bout at UFC 318

Dustin Poirier's daughter created an artwork to express her admiration for Poirier, ahead of his retirement bout at UFC 318 against Max Holloway.

'The Diamond's' daughter expressed her happiness over Poirier's decision to retire after a long and memorable UFC career. Her artwork was featured on a recent episode of UFC 318 Countdown and later reposted by Home of Fight on X. The drawing read:

"Dad, I love you so much. I’m happy you are done fighting."

Check out Dustin Poirier's daughter's comments below:

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Shehryar Edibam