Dustin Poirier not a fan of Fight Island: It was “like I was in prison in my own mind”

Surging UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier wasn’t a fan of competing on the promotion’s much-discussed Fight Island.

Fight Island—a complex on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi—was the setting of last Saturday’s UFC 257 card, where Poirier defeated Conor McGregor by second-round TKO.

While Poirier got the results he wanted on Fight Island, he didn’t enjoy the lead-up to the fight, as he was effectively confined to his room thanks to the UFC’s rigorous safety protocols.

“I don’t know, part of it might be from (explicit) spinning my wheels for two weeks sitting in a hotel room,” Poirier told the media after beating McGregor, explaining why he wasn’t a fan of Fight Island (via MMA Junkie). “You couldn’t call this ‘Fight Island.’ This is ‘Fight Hotel.’

“We couldn’t leave the property,” Poirier added. “I’m sitting here two weeks cutting weight. The furthest I could go was to the workout room. This was like I was in prison in my own mind here.”

Despite his issues with the lead-up to his fight with McGregor on Fight Island, Poirier says he felt about as good as he ever has once he stepped into the cage.

“Tonight was one of the best (nights) I’ve ever felt,” Poirier said. “I was emotionless. I was an assassin, and I was here to execute. I was locked in and loaded and I felt nothing. I felt very focused. It was a great feeling.

“I didn’t enjoy warming up,” Poirier added. “I didn’t enjoy the week of sitting in a hotel room for two weeks. But damn, when I let the dog out and perform, I can scrap, man. It feels good, but there was no emotion.

“We’ll see (who’s next),” Poirier concluded, previewing his next move. “I have so many ass whoopings to hand out, and I’m just putting everything together. My body and mind are finally on the same wavelength. I just turned 32 this week, so we’ll see what happens. The only part I liked was the fight these last two weeks. So I don’t know if that answers the question. I didn’t enjoy the process these last two weeks. The only part I liked was fighting.”

Are you surprised to hear Dustin Poirier didn’t enjoy his time on Fight Island?