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Dustin Poirier may have lost his BMF title fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 291, but he has gained the respect and admiration of one of the biggest stars in the world. Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, took to Twitter to commend Poirier for his humble and gracious attitude after suffering a devastating knockout loss in the second round.
Poirier, who was rematching Gaethje for the vacant belt, was caught by a vicious head kick that sent him to the canvas. The referee immediately stopped the fight and declared Gaethje the winner. It was a shocking and disappointing outcome for Poirier, who had previously defeated Gaethje by TKO in 2018.
However, instead of dwelling on his defeat, Poirier showed remarkable resilience and positivity in his post-fight press conference. He acknowledged that losing was heartbreaking, but he also expressed his gratitude for his life, his family, and his fans. He said that he had already won at life, given his humble origins and his charitable work.
“It’s heartbreaking. But I keep coming back like Pookie. It keeps calling me. I can’t stop. I might need another hit. I don’t know. I’m just taking it one day at a time, one minute at a time right now,” Poirier said. “But I’m happy right now. My life is good, my family is good, my daughter is excited for me to get home. We’re not at a funeral here. I’ve won. I’ve won life. I already won. Where I come from, I’ve already won.”
Poirier’s words touched many people, including Dwayne Johnson, who is a huge fan of MMA and has presented the BMF belt to Jorge Masvidal in 2019. Johnson tweeted his admiration for Poirier, calling him a “diamond” and a “champion” in and out of the octagon.
“@DustinPoirier you are a diamond my friend. A champion in and out of the octagon,” Johnson wrote. “Your humility and grace after such a tough loss is inspiring and admirable. You have nothing but respect and love from me and millions of fans around the world. Keep your head up brother.”
Johnson’s tweet received over 100,000 likes and thousands of retweets and comments from fans who agreed with his sentiment. Many praised Poirier for being a class act and a role model, while others expressed their hope to see him bounce back and fight again.
Poirier, who is known for being active on social media, responded to Johnson’s tweet with a simple “Thank you” and a heart emoji.
Poirier’s record now stands at 29-8-1 NC, while Gaethje improved to 24-3. It is unclear what is next for both fighters, but Poirier has indicated that he is not ready to hang up his gloves yet.