Dustin Poirier gets magnificent sendoff... but will he actually stay retired?

Dustin Poirier is one of the fighters that I have the most respect for out of anyone that has ever played the game. He lets his fights do the talking and doesn't rely on hype and podcasts to get a payday and he also doesn't act like a little b**ch when things don't go his way.

For him to have his retirement fight against another fighter that I truly respect in Max Holloway, was an absolutely perfect end to the UFC event over the weekend.

While it is disappointing to see someone like Poirer go, at least he is going out on his own terms rather than allowing the industry to use him up and spit him out like so many others have done in the past.

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It was a BMF bout, and if you read what I write at all you already know how little I enjoy the fact that this belt exists at all but honestly this is probably the best thing that the stupid belt has ever made happen. Poirer was likely to end up fighting Holloway at some point anyway, BMF or not, because of their shared history, but I suppose the belt being on the line means something too.

Everything about this fight was absolutely perfect. There was tons of action, both fighters were really going for it, and nobody was trying to ride the clock to win on points. The advantage constantly shifted as well with both of them putting the other "on the ropes" at at least one instance but then failing to capitalize and get a finish. The place I was in was happy that a finish didn't happen because we wanted to see more of this epic showdown.

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There wasn't really any reason to be on the edge of your seat as you waited for the judges' decision after 5 rounds though because anyone watching closely that knows anything about the sport already knew that Max had this one in the bag.

I suppose retiring after a loss isn't exactly the result that Poirer was hoping for but if you are going to lose to anyone, it may as well be someone like Holloway. There was nothing but respect between these two in the entirety of the build up to this fight and the same respect was shown in the octagon the day of.

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When Max got the win, he apologized to Dustin's hometown crowd and then kept his post-fight interview very short in order to honor Dustin and I thought that was just wonderful in a sport that often sees a great deal of intentional disrespect towards opponents on a regular basis.

When Dustin left the octagon he got a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd. I am also disappointed to see him go because I have never seen a bad fight involving the guy ever.

But here comes the question that is on my mind just like it is with many others that have grown a bit jaded as far as MMA careers are concerned: Will Poirier actually stay retired?

I think out of all the "retirements" in the past 5 years or so, Dustin's is probably one of the most likely to be legitimate and we will not see him using this as some sort of leverage to get bigger paydays or mull about for a few years and then slip on some podcast and reveal that you are coming back.

I'm not saying that when people say that they are retiring that they definitely need to hang up the gloves for good but in recent years it seems that more often than not the retirement is just an empty platitude that only takes a short while before the person gets un-retired. The worst example of this would be Jon Jones who reversed his decision to retire less than 2 weeks after announcing it. Amanda Nunes and Cowboy Cerrone are a couple of other fake retirees and those are just the ones off the top of my head.

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I believe it is wise for Dustin to walk away the way that he did. He is doing so with his head held high even though his final match was a loss. If given the opportunity, UFC or any other promotion would simply use Dustin until he has no purpose anymore all the while completely tarnishing the reputation that he has spend many years building.

As much as I would like to see him battle it out a few more times, I hope that he sticks with his decision to stay gone and for the love of everything holy do not pick up the phone when Jake Paul calls!