UFC Lightweight Dustin Poirier No Longer Wants Bloodiest Fights

Dustin Poirier no longer wishes to have the title of “Most Violent Fighter.”

Poirier is coming off a second-round TKO victory over former UFC lightweight title holder Eddie Alvarez. The bout served as UFC Calgary’s main event. Going into the bout, Alvarez took pride in the unofficial “Most Violent Fighter” title being on the line. It’s a title that “The Diamond” no longer cares about.

Poirier is now set to collide with Nate Diaz in the co-main event of UFC 230. The card will be held inside Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 3. Speaking to Damon Martin over on Flo Combat, Poirier said he’s more interested in fighting smarter these days:

“I took it for the night and now it’s back on the market. Anybody else in the lightweight division can have it. I’m over having the bloodiest fights. I’m trying to get home safe and not stitched up every fight. That’s for the younger, crazier guys who want to make a name for themselves. They can have that. I’m not so much interested in that any more. I’m a fighter at heart, so when the fight gets to that, I do it better than anybody else, but I’m not trying to defend the most violent title. I will pass it onto somebody else.”

Poirier finds himself at the third spot on the official UFC lightweight rankings. “The Diamond” is riding a three-fight winning streak. He’s gone 4-0, 1 NC in his last five outings. His last defeat was at the hands of Michael Johnson back in Sept. 2016. Since that fight, Poirier has worked on controlling his emotions and being more cautious when utilizing his offense. Time will tell if it leads him to his first UFC title opportunity.