“The hip’s been bothering me for a very long time,” he said. “It’s been years and years, gradually getting a little worse, a little tighter, more painful. But finally we got something done about it. There was a lot of recovery and it’s been trying and testing for me, but like always, I pull through somehow and stay focused and keep the drive, and here I am, healthy and ready to fight.”
That’s the physical part. Mentally, Poirier has been ready to get in a scrap ever since he left Abu Dhabi after the Nurmagomedov bout. And while some might look at the first fight back after a loss and an injury-induced layoff as the perfect time to maybe take on someone lower in the top 15, the No. 3-ranked Poirier went right for the No. 5-ranked Hooker for a matchup that is expected to be nothing less than Armageddon in short pants for as long as it lasts. That takes an extra level of mental preparation knowing that things could go south at some point over the 25 scheduled minutes. How is he able to do it?
“Because I’ve been there before,” Poirier said. “In a strange, weird way, I find comfort in there, in those times, because I know I’m nastier than these guys. I know I’m grittier than these guys. I know if I’m tired and bleeding, they’re exhausted and want to be out of there. I can suffer more than these guys can when it comes down to that kind of fight. When it’s a dogfight, when our foreheads are on each other and we’re both bleeding and we’re punching each other’s body against the fence, I know that I’m going to win that fight when it gets to that point because I’m willing to do more. I’m willing to suffer more. And a lot of times, that’s what it takes.”
Anyone about to fight Dustin Poirier should be intimidated by that. He laughs.
“Well, I hope they are.”
MORE FROM UFC VEGAS 4: Fight by Fight Preview | Mike Perry Is Hungry | Fighters On The Rise | Free Fight: Poirier vs Alvarez 2
Hooker probably won’t be, as he shares many of the same thoughts on fighting as Poirier does. It’s why this is such a highly anticipated fight, and not just because of its importance in the division. This could be a prelim bout with no rankings attached, and what happens when the Octagon door shuts would be the same. It’s going to push both men to places they’ve learned to become comfortable in, but that most would avoid if at all possible.
“I get myself ready for that by knowing that adversity is probably going to present itself in that 25 minutes,” Poirier said. “I’m fighting a top five guy in the world who’s known for being in exciting fights. There’s no way that adversity will not present itself in 25 minutes if the fight unfolds like the way it probably will. I could go out there and get the fight done early; that would be great. But the chances of adversity being there are very high and I know that going into it and I believe that’s what helps me deal with those moments in the fight when I get hit with a good shot or I’m bleeding or I’m in a bad position.”
