DUSTIN POIRIER admits his fight with Benoit Saint-Denis could be his last.
The former interim lightweight champion returns to action against the ferocious Frenchman early on Sunday morning in the co-main event of UFC 299 in Miami.
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The Miami melee is seen by many as a potential changing of the guard moment in the shark tank which is the 155lbs division.
And although he has no immediate plans to call it a day after facing Saint-Denis, Poirier admits the end of his war-filled career is on the horizon.
The Lafayette leftie, 35, told TMZ: “Every fight could be it [my last]. Every fight.
“Where I’m at, 35 years old, this is my 30th fight in the UFC. Every fight could be it.”
For the first time in a long time, Poirier will be fighting extremely down in the rankings when he locks horns with BSD.
It’s a big risk for the title hopes of the fan favourite, who is eager to prove he can still mix it with the up-and-comers in the division.
“To test myself really,” ‘The Diamond’ said when asked why he’s taking the bout. “To see if I still got it.
“This guy is young, hungry, on a streak, has finished his last five opponents.
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“That makes me nervous, so I want to toss myself in the fire.
“There’s where I feel I do my best work, and those are the kinds of fighters I want to fight.
“Guys who are leaving it all out there, showing grit, they fight for finishes.
“That’s the kind of fight I want to be involved in.”
Poirier hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since losing his BMF title fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 last August.
The fan favourite was knocked out in the second round of the Salt Lake City showdown courtesy of a viral head kick.
Prior to that loss, he’d won four of his last five octagon outings – in which he wracked up back-to-back TKO wins over long-time rival Conor McGregor.