Dustin Poirier responds after Justin Gaethje suggests he’d rather retire than fight him again

Dustin Poirier has no plans to retire as he says fighters in the lightweight division still need ass-whoopings.

After Justin Gaethje defeated Michael Chandler at UFC 268, he told MMAFighting that he hopes Charles Oliveira beats Poirier because he isn’t sure “The Diamond” would rematch him.

“A part of me thinks — after I fought Dustin Poirier, I went outside and I took 100, 200 pictures and I felt great, not one thought or emotion from that fight am I scared to experience again,” Gaethje said. “I know for a fact when Dustin Poirier has to step in there with me again, he’s going to remember and constantly be analyzing that night. He was not out taking pictures. He was probably in the most pain of his f*cking life. If he doesn’t land the shot in the first round, he knows he’s going to have to go through that again. If he beats Charles Oliveira, I don’t know if he fights me. I think he just walks away, calls it good.”

Image Credit: @ufc on Twitter

Even though it was Poirier scoring a stoppage win over Gaethje, he doesn’t understand why Gaethje thinks he wouldn’t rematch him. Although The Diamond has enough money to retire, he says he is a fighter and wants to continue fighting so if Gaethje is next up on his list, then that is who he will face.

“Nah, man – I’m a fighter,” Poirier said on The MMA Hour. “I’m fortunate enough now, with this year that I’ve had, I could walk away. It’s a great position to be in, but these guys need ass-whoopings, and I’m the guy to give it to them. And we can’t walk away like that.”

As mentioned, Poirier is set to return to the Octagon in the main event of UFC 269 against Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title.

What do you make of Dustin Poirier’s response to Justin Gaethje?