Dustin Poirier says it sucked to see Nick Diaz looked like a shadow of his former self at UFC 266: “I’m such a big fan”

Dustin Poirier is speaking out about how it sucked to see Nick Diaz look like a shadow of his former self at UFC 266.

It was Nick Diaz (26-10 MMA) vs Robbie Lawler (29-15 MMA) in the middleweight bout back in September of 2021 at UFC 266 in Paradise, Nevada. The outcome was Lawler defeating Diaz with a third round TKO.

Prior to the defeat, Diaz had been out of the Octagon for almost seven years.

Poirier is sharing his thoughts that commissions should be preventing legends of the sport, like Diaz, from competing in the cage beyond their means.

In a recent appearance on ‘THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas’, former interim lightweight champion Poirier spoke about Diaz’s return and defeat in 2021 saying:

“I know man, it sucks ’cause I’m such a big fan, such a big fan. To see legends go out there and not do themselves the right way like that, I just hate to see it. But that’s fighting.”

Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler at UFC 266

When asked about why MMA veterans continue past their prime, Poirier shared that he believes its a combination of monetary reasons and not being able to let go of being a fighter saying:

“They don’t know when to stop, they can’t stop, they won’t stop; they’re fighters. I think they’ve done it for so long, it’s become — it’s not just something they do anymore, it’s who they are… And I feel it in myself a little bit.”

Addressing how to go about determining whether a fighter is no longer fit to compete and prevent them from doing so, Poirier said (h/t MMANews):

“I think there should be a governing body, a sanction, or whatever, to have the power to say, ‘No more,’ you know? ‘Cause, I mean, I’ve been to fights, boxing matches, where a guy has — they’re building up a fighter and they put him across the ring from a guy who shouldn’t be in there.”

“You just don’t wanna see this guy go down because one of these nights he goes down, he’s gonna leave something that he can’t get back… I think the commission should step in.”

All that being said, Nick Diaz, 38, is still planning to return to the Octagon later this year and is targeting Kamaru Usman (20-1 MMA) for a title shot.

Diaz has not won a fight since UFC 137 in October of 2011 when he beat B.J. Penn by unanimous decision.

Do you agree with Dustin Poirier that there should be a governing body within the UFC to determine if a fighter should still be allowed in the cage when they’re past their prime?