Dustin Poirier
Active 2011–present · rated in 7 editions across 2 divisions · peak overall 90.0
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Dustin Poirier at lightweight
Scouting report
Poirier holds two victories over Conor McGregor at lightweight, both by stoppage, including a second-round TKO at UFC 264 in July 2021. The Lafayette, Louisiana native won the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship by unanimous decision over Max Holloway at UFC 236 in April 2019. At lightweight his peak ratings include an 87 Boxing and a 90 Cardio, backing an 85 Overall score.
Peak ratings
By edition
Poirier established himself among the lightweight elite across 2016 and 2017, knocking out Bobby Green in round one at UFC 199, defeating Jim Miller in Brooklyn, and fighting Eddie Alvarez to a no-contest in Dallas and submitting Anthony Pettis in Norfolk. His boxing combinations, shifting hooks, and conditioning are reflected in an 88 Boxing and 88 Cardio.
Poirier authored a title-contending run from 2018 to 2019, stopping Justin Gaethje in Glendale and finishing Eddie Alvarez in their Calgary rematch, before defeating featherweight champion Max Holloway across five rounds at UFC 236 in Atlanta to capture the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship, prior to a title loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. His boxing and stamina justify an 92 Boxing and 92 Cardio.
In June 2020 in Las Vegas, Poirier defeated Dan Hooker in a five-round war, followed by consecutive 2021 stoppage victories over Conor McGregor at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi and UFC 264 in Las Vegas before losing a title fight to Charles Oliveira by third-round submission at UFC 269. His shoulder-roll defense, power punching, and championship pace anchor his 94 Boxing and 92 Cardio.
Poirier submitted Michael Chandler with a rear-naked choke at UFC 281 in Madison Square Garden, knocked out Benoit Saint Denis in Miami at UFC 299, and pushed pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev to the fifth round in a title fight at UFC 302 in Newark. His boxing pocket mastery, heart, and fight intelligence are reflected in an 94 Boxing and 92 Fight IQ.
Dustin Poirier: pocket boxing for people who like a fight
Dustin Poirier has been in some of the UFC's messiest wars and mostly walked out of them. He wants the pocket, he likes the fence, and he keeps swinging when it gets ugly. If your build needs a fighter who can win from a scrap, he fits.
Poirier attribute by attribute
Boxing. Excellent pocket work. Long, looping combinations and stance shifts pin opponents to the fence, and the check hook and shifting overhand are both dangerous.
Kickboxing. Reliable calf kicks. The low kicks he used to compromise Conor McGregor in the rematch show he can mix them into his boxing.
Wrestling. Serviceable and often secondary. He lands reactive takedowns, but chain wrestlers like Khabib and Makhachev gave him trouble.
BJJ. A black belt with a live guillotine. Mostly he sweeps or scrambles, and occasionally exposes his back doing so.
Strength. Strong for lightweight, with heavy hands and enough power to muscle out of bad spots along the fence.
Durability. He has survived wars and comes back swinging. He can be hurt, and recovers well.
Cardio. Very good. His volume and power hold up in the championship rounds.
Fight IQ. He knows who he is and drags opponents into the exchanges where his chin and boxing win.
The trait to take: Boxing
Shifting combinations at this volume break guards. It is the slot for finishing anyone pinned on the cage.
The trait to skip: Defensive wrestling
Elite wrestlers have always been the problem. Draft his wrestling and your fighter may struggle to stay upright against a dedicated grappler.
Dustin Poirier at featherweight
Scouting report
Dustin "Diamond" Poirier fought as a featherweight in the UFC 3 (2012) and EA 1 (2014) editions before moving up to lightweight in 2015. He is from Lafayette, Louisiana, and trained at American Top Team. The featherweight card carries an 81 Overall, with an 82–84 Boxing and 86 Cardio, and includes early stoppage wins over Carlos Bermudez and Pablo Garza.
Peak ratings
By edition
Poirier submitted Max Holloway via mounted triangle-armbar at UFC 143, fought Chan Sung Jung in a 2012 Fight of the Year, and defeated Erik Koch and Diego Brandao. His D'Arce choke submissions, pocket boxing, and stamina are reflected in an 82 Boxing and 80 BJJ score across these bouts.
In 2014, Poirier scored a second-round TKO over Akira Corassani before suffering a first-round knockout loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 178 in Las Vegas. Moving up to lightweight in 2015, he recorded consecutive first-round knockouts of Carlos Diego Ferreira and Yancy Medeiros. His hand combinations and pace are captured in his 84 Boxing and 86 Cardio.
Dustin Poirier at 145: the young version
Before he became a lightweight staple, Dustin Poirier spent his early years in the top promotion at featherweight, still filling out and still learning where his power came from. In February 2012 he submitted Max Holloway in the first round of Holloway's debut, and in 2014 he lost to Conor McGregor in the same division. This card is that fighter, a hungry finisher with more tools than polish, and a drafter who takes him here is betting on the raw material.
How the featherweight card is built
Boxing. Good, not yet great. He already hunts the body and lands clean counters, but the combinations are simpler than in his later years.
Kickboxing. Solid. Kicks are used to set up the hands rather than to win exchanges by themselves.
Wrestling. His lowest number. Takedown defence is not what this version is about, and good wrestlers can dictate where the fight happens.
BJJ. A real threat. Poirier chased chokes from scrambles and top position, and his guillotine attempts come out fast.
Strength. Fine for the weight. He does not overpower people, but he punches with authority.
Durability. Reliable. He walks forward through damage and keeps his composure when hurt.
Cardio. His best trait on this card. The pace at the end of round three looks a lot like the pace at the start.
Fight IQ. Sharp for his age. He switches to grappling when the striking stalls, though he can be drawn into brawls.
Take the engine: Cardio
Cardio is his top rating at this peak, and in a draft that matters more than it sounds. A slot filled by Poirier keeps the build alive in late rounds when other cards are fading, and he needs that time to find his finishing openings.
Leave alone if you fear takedowns: Wrestling
Wrestling is the lowest rating on this card. Opponents who can shoot and control will pull him away from the counter game, so cover that hole elsewhere if you draft him in the featherweight slot.
Keep exploring
Closest lightweight profiles to Dustin Poirier, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Rafael dos Anjosbest cardio 94 · weakest strength 84
- Renato Moicanobest bjj 92 · weakest strength 80
- Eddie Alvarezbest boxing 90 · weakest bjj 78
- Tony Fergusonbest cardio 98 · weakest strength 82
- Lightweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Featherweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Dustin Poirier's strongest attribute, Boxing.
Draft Dustin Poirier into your build
Dustin Poirier enters the pool on any spin landing on lightweight or featherweight between 2010 and present. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are our own, built from independent research and from how Dustin Poirier is regarded by the MMA community, with earlier MMA video games used only as a starting baseline for the scale. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Dustin Poirier's real-world abilities. See the disclaimer below. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read how we check our write-ups in our editorial standards.