Poirier: Retirement 'harder than I thought it would be'

Former UFC star Dustin Poirier has had a difficult time accepting the fact he's retired.

Poirier ended his legendary career in July after losing to Max Holloway at UFC 318 in his home state of Louisiana. Poirier, 36, had fought professionally since 2009.

"It's harder than I thought it would be," Poirier told MMA Fighting's Mike Heck. "I thought it would be a relief when I finally put the gloves down, and I don't have this weight on my back or this cloud over my head of getting better or what's next ... that's been like that in my mind for 20 years. I thought it would be a relief and an exhale, and life would begin in a different way. But it kind of hasn't yet.

"Maybe I'm still processing, maybe it's gonna take more time than I expected. But when you do something for this long and dedicate your life to it, every day I was waking up with a fire under me, trying to be a better fighter."

Poirier put together a tremendous resume in his 14 years in the Octagon, capturing an interim lightweight title, beating the likes of Holloway, Conor McGregor (twice), Eddie Alvarez, and Justin Gaethje, and earning a record 10 Fight of the Night bonuses. He was ranked in the top 10 of the lightweight division for years and is considered one of the greatest fighters to never win an undisputed title.

"I miss it more than I thought I would," Poirier said. "I'm still processing it all. I think day by day, time heals all, but I'm just hoping I get into a better flow. I've been just really trying to keep my mind busy, staying busy doing things so I don't have time to sit around. But god, I gotta tell you, the days are long. The days are long when I'm not waking up, training, coming home, training again, doing road work. It's a way of life. It's not just a sport I competed in. It was the way I lived my life."

Despite his urge to keep competing, Poirier said it's very unlikely he will return to MMA, noting that his wife and family prefer he stay retired.

"It was such a perfect send-off," Poirier said of his retirement fight in New Orleans. "I'd be doing myself a disservice by coming back. Never say never, but it would take the perfect circumstances and everything for me to ever put a pair of gloves back on and fight somebody."