Dustin Poirier Says ‘I Can Do Better’ After FOTY Contender Against Dan Hooker
Former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier got back to winning ways in one of the best fights 2020 at UFC on ESPN 12. Poirier faced off against Dan Hooker in the card’s main event and the fight delivered big time. Both men went to war for five hard rounds, but it was ‘The Diamond’ who edged out the fight on the judges’ scorecards.
Speaking post-fight to Jon Anik Poirier reflected on a “tough one” against Hooker, he said.
“It was a tough one, man. Dan came to fight. He’s a tough guy. He’s on the rise and really thought he was going to get passed me. He talked a lot of trash, like, he was going to move forward and fight the champ — but I’m the champ. This is what I love to do. I put all the work in. I trust in my team, skill, and work ethic. I came here, pulled another one out, and had a few more rounds in me.”
“I could have been a little bit sharper. I didn’t move out of the way of a few shots. It’s not that I disrespected Dan’s power, but I stayed in the pocket too long. I should have been sharper. At the end, I started getting in my range and countering off his lazy shots. I landed some good ones and made his head snap back. I was stealing the rounds with shots like that, but I can do better.”
Poirier revealed he will now take some time out with his family before fighting later this year or early in 2021.
“Maybe I’ll fight at the end of the year,” he said. “Maybe I’ll fight next year. I just want to go home to my daughter. I’m a winner and it was a long time off. It was the longest break in my career. I had to take nine months off and sit on the sidelines. I had to overcome some stuff.
“Now that I’m a victor again, I want to get back to the drawing board. I want to keep getting better. I want to stay in love with this sport. I don’t want to push myself so much to where I hate this. I’ve been doing this a long time and pushing myself to the limits every day. So I just want to do it right.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)
Who do you want to see Dustin Poirier fight next?
