Dustin Poirier says he would strongly consider coming out of retirement if a fourth fight with Conor McGregor became a realistic possibility.
Poirier retired in 2025 following a fight with Max Holloway but told the Weighing In podcast he has not fully closed the door.
“If it was realistic and they called me and said, ‘Hey,’ I would probably get back in the drug-testing protocol and get licensed again, yeah.”
Poirier went 2-1 in his trilogy with McGregor, with McGregor suffering a broken leg in their third fight at UFC 264 in July 2021 — an injury that triggered his five-year absence. He assessed McGregor’s chances against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11 while noting a specific concern about Holloway’s recent durability.
“Yeah, I don’t think Conor’s going to look as bad as Nate, that was really bad. I think the punching power’s going to be there regardless. The question for me is the timing, the athleticism, the movement, all those questions need to be answered. If his counter-punching and his timing is anywhere near what it was, he has a chance to beat Max. Look, I love Max, but the career he’s had and the longevity he’s had, he’s touched the canvas in his last three fights. That’s more than he’s touched it in his entire career. I just think time’s catching up with him. Conor can punch. No matter how long he’s been out, he still has the great equalizer and that’s power. Some guys are born with it.”
Poirier acknowledged he still has six or seven fights remaining on his UFC contract but said retirement remains the right decision — even if part of him disagrees.
“Some days I wake up and I really feel like this was the right decision, everything’s where it should be. Some days I wake up and I want to fight because I know I can beat these guys still. I don’t know if that ever goes.”