Dustin Poirier still hasn’t decided whether or not he’ll fight again, but some time off is coming his way regardless of a potential retirement.
On Wednesday, the former interim lightweight champion disclosed the extent of his injuries sustained during his fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 this past weekend. Despite Poirier’s brave effort, he was ultimately defeated when Makhachev latched on a fight-ending submit in the fifth and final round. “My nose is badly broken, my ribs are broken, and my ACL is partially torn,” Poirier said on social media platform X. “Fight life.”
Immediately after the fight ended, Poirier remarked that his nose was “shattered,” which is an injury he’s suffered before during his career. He also commented that he dealt with some kind of knee injury after defending a third-round takedown from Makhachev against the cage.
Poirier’s longtime friend and coach Yves Edwards then revealed on Monday that the Louisiana native dealt with a rib injury leading up to the fight that prevented him from doing much grappling in wrestling during the final weeks of his training camp.
While Poirier got the diagnosis on the extent of his injuries, sources told MMA Fighting on Wednesday that the fighter will seek out a second opinion on his knee to determine whether or not he’ll need surgery to repair the damage done.
Even in cases of a complete ACL tear, surgery isn’t always necessary, but is likely for most athletes. A partial tear gives Poirier hope that perhaps he’ll be able to rest, recover, and eventually undergo physical therapy to deal with the injury rather than going under the knife.
No final determination on a course of treatment has been decided just yet.
Poirier did receive an indefinite suspension from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board following his fight due to the severity of his nose and knee injuries. As a result, Poirier needs clearance from an ear, nose, and throat specialist, as well as an orthopedist regarding his left knee.
The 35-year-old veteran hasn’t indicated yet if that will even matter or not. He stated this past Saturday that he may have fought for the final time in his losing effort against Makhachev, but he wasn’t ready to make that decision yet.
For now, Poirier has to take mandatory time off to recover from the multitude of injuries suffered in the fight against Makhachev before he can really consider when he could compete again.