UFC lightweight legend Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier is retired from fighting, but he recently revealed the one fight that he would come out of retirement for.
Following Justin Gaethje’s victory over Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324, Poirier took to social media to share that he would return for a trilogy matchup with Gaethje.
What do we have here? 👀 😮
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) January 26, 2026
Dustin Poirier says he'd come out of retirement to face Justin Gaethje in a trilogy bout. Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/8kUlMDK4bn
Poirier and Gaethje faced off twice before. Poirier bested Gaethje by knockout back in 2018 and Gaethje returned the favor in 2023. Since the all-time record between the two fighters stands at 1-1, a third matchup would be intriguing.
Earlier this month, Poirier admitted that he's struggling with retirement and acknowledged that he misses the fight game on a daily basis.
"I miss it every day, man. I do,” Poirier said during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I feel like some days I'm like, 'I can beat these guys.' Then some days I'm like, 'I made the right decision.' It’s a constant tug-of-war in my head. Some days I wake up thinking I'm doing exactly what I was supposed to do — this is where I'm supposed to be. Some days I wake up, and man, I wish I had a fight to look forward to."
Those comments make it seem like Poirier would truly be open to a return to the octagon. However, now that Gaethje is the interim champ, a trilogy fight between the two stars seems unlikely, as the UFC isn’t going to give Poirier a title shot fresh out of retirement.
Plus, Gaethje will ultimately need to have a unification bout with Ilia Topuria, who vacated the lightweight belt for personal reasons.
So, while another fight between Poirier and Gaethje is fun for UFC fans to fantasize about, they shouldn’t hold their breath for it to actually happen.