Highlights
- Dustin Poirier is gearing up for his third lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 on the 1st of June.
- Poirier faced and defeated fighters like Jason Young, Pablo Garza, and Max Holloway during his first five fights with the organisation.
- Josh Grispi and The Korean Zombie were also in Poirier’s opening five fights, and had mixed fortunes after facing him in the UFC Octagon.
UFC veteran Dustin Poirier will get his third shot at undisputed lightweight gold on the 1st of June when he faces defending champion Islam Makhachev. Despite being the former interim champion, ‘The Diamond’ suffered submission losses to both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira in his undisputed opportunities, meaning he’s yet to be an official champion in the UFC. However, the American now has the chance to round out a 15-year professional career by facing Makhachev.
Known for his exciting fighting style and impressive wins, the fighter from Louisiana is one of the biggest fan favourites in the UFC. The fighter joined the organisation in 2011 and boasts an impressive 22-7 record in the UFC ahead of his title bout at UFC 302. A long time removed from his UFC debut, we take a look at the first five opponents Poirier faced in the UFC and where they are now ahead of his third attempt at undisputed lightweight gold.
Josh Grispi
UFC 125 – Dustin Poirier wins via unanimous decision
Welcoming Dustin Poirier to the UFC was fellow debutant Josh Grispi. Going into the fight, both fighters had just one professional loss each and were transitioning over from the WEC. Grispi was originally meant to challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt on the card, but an injury resulted in him facing Poirier instead. 21-year-old Poirier came into the fight as an underdog, however, got the victory unanimously on the judges’ scorecards.
Despite having a promising career coming into the bout, ‘The Fluke’ Grispi would not bounce back from his loss to Dustin Poirier. As of 2024, he only had three more professional fights, all ending in a loss. Grispi hasn’t fought professionally since 2013, but was scheduled to make a comeback in 2020 before pulling out of a lightweight fight under MMA promotion New England Fights due to legal issues.
In 2014, Grispi was arrested and charged with the assault of his wife. He was convicted of 25 counts of assault and gun charges, being sentenced to five years in prison. The assault was described by police as one of the “worst cases of domestic abuse” that they had witnessed.
Jason Young
UFC 131 – Dustin Poirier wins via unanimous decision
Poirier would then go on to face British fighter Jason Young in Canada in 2011. Originally meant to face Rani Yayha, Young stepped in on short notice. Again, Poirier would win the fight via unaminous decision. The bout was a competitive one, but it was Poirier who was able to extend his then winning streak to three.
Young would go 1-2 in his next three fights and ended with a career record of 9-6. The British fighter last competed in 2012, with no scheduled bouts since. After his final career loss, Jason Young was formally released by the UFC and did not go on to compete under any other organisation.
Pablo Garza
UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos – Dustin Poirier wins via submission
Poirier’s third fight would see him face fellow American Pablo Garza. This fight would mark Dustin Poirier’s first UFC finish as he won the fight via a D’arce Choke in round 2.
Garza came into the fight with a record of 11-1, having previously been a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 12 – Team GSP vs Team Koscheck. Following his loss to Poirier, Garza would have one win and two losses. The final fight of his career was a submission loss to Diego Brandao, who notably fought Poirier, Conor McGregor, and Brian Ortega later in his career.
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Garza was released by the UFC following the Brandao loss and did not sign with any other combat sports organisation, finishing his career with a 12-4 professional record. As to his whereabouts now, Garza left a Facebook comment on his page in 2022 indicating that he had become a co-owner and instructor of a fighting academy in Norway.
Max Holloway
UFC 143 – Dustin Poirier wins via submission
Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway were just 23 and 21 years old respectively when they met for the first time. The Hawaiian Holloway was fighting for just the fifth time professionally and for the first time in the UFC. The two met at UFC 143 in April 2012, a fight that would see Poirier emerge the winner. The heavy favourite Poirier would submit ‘Blessed’ in the first round, which still stands as Max Holloway’s only loss by finish.
Holloway would then go 16-2 in his next 18 fights. A run that would see him capture and defend the featherweight title. Poirier and Holloway would then meet again for a second time. Following the absence of Khabib, an interim lightweight title bout was scheduled between the two in April 2019. Seven years removed from their first meeting, Poirier would once again come out on top. This time, in a much closer affair, winning via unanimous decision.
Following the lightweight loss, Holloway moved back down to featherweight, where he would eventually lose his title to Alexander Volkanovski. Despite a further two attempts against the Australian, the Hawaiian has still not regained his featherweight belt. However, Holloway made significant headlines at UFC 300 in April 2024. His final-second knockout of Justin Gaetjhe earned him the ‘BMF’ belt. As of now, it seems as if Holloway may get another chance to become featherweight champion as he is a potential challenger for Ilia Topuria. Although the fight has not been made yet, both fighters have mentioned the potential match-up on numerous occasions.
Jung Chan-sung
UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier – Dustin Poirier loses via technical submission
Dustin Poirier’s fifth fight in the organisation would see him face Jung Chan-sung, better known as The Korean Zombie, in a five-round main event. The then 25-year-old Korean would hand Poirier his first loss in the UFC, submitting him in round four. Poirier’s winning streak would be snapped by a D’arce Choke to finish out what is labelled by Tapology as the second-greatest featherweight fight of all time.
The win against Poirier earned The Korean Zombie a title opportunity against then-champion Jose Aldo in Rio de Janeiro. Coming into the fight as a significant underdog, Aldo would earn himself a TKO victory in round four. The remainder of his career would have ups and downs. The Korean would go 4-4 in his next eight, which included an unsuccessful title challenge against Alexander Volkanovski. Jung Chan-sung would make the walk for the final time against Max Holloway. Despite the knockout loss, The Korean Zombie went out with a legendary walk-out and heartfelt performance in front of a packed crowd in Singapore.
The UFC veteran has not competed in combat sports since, however, he has new business ventures in which he is a part of. He is the host of ‘Zombie Trip’, a YouTube series centred around fighting and martial arts. As well as this, he has also released his own energy drink – ‘Korean Zombie Energy Drink.’
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