Dustin Poirier- MILITAR MINDSET
Dustin Poirier is one of the best mixed martial artists in this current day and age. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for over a decade! Regularly fighting with some of the best mixed martial artists in the world.
He has had his ups and downs in his career with many great wins and just a few losses (at this moment in time he has 28 wins and 6 losses).
After securing the interim UFC lightweight title in 2019 after defeating Max Holloway, Poirier would go on to a unification bout with the undisputed lightweight champion at the time, the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov.
He came up short that fight losing via submission, but Poirier dusted himself off and came back stronger.
He went onto win his next 3 fights defeating high level opponents in Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor, landing himself another shot at his ultimate dream, UFC gold, against the Brazilian Charles Oliveira.
He is currently ranked as one of the best active UFC lightweights in the world. Other than fighting, Poirier is also an entrepreneur and has his own charity, The Good Fight Foundation!
Poirier has faced a lot of adversity throughout his career, he has showed us how to come back stronger! Definitely demonstrating the MILITAR MINDSET!
Check out this motivational video we made on Dustin Poirier!
How has Poirier displayed the MILITAR MINDSET?
Poirier has been able to achieve much more than people thought he could in his career thus far. This is all due to his MINDSET!
Dustin Poirier was born in Lafayette, Louisiana to parents Darrell Poirier and Jere’ Folley Chaisson.
Poirier didn’t do too well in school, he was continuously in street fights, dropping out of high school in just the ninth grade.
Poirier would channel this passion for fighting he had into the gym. Initially training in boxing till mixed martial arts caught his eye.
He made his debut in 2009, fighting in local shows, building up his skills and name till he got the big call up to the UFC.
Poirier made his debut in the UFC at featherweight in 2011. He would have ups and downs in this weight division, but this didn’t deter him from chasing his dream. To become one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the world.
Poirier has admitted that the weight cut to featherweight was extreme and believed he was not performing to the best of his abilities because of this. Therefore, he decided to move up in weight and compete at lightweight.
Poirier has found great success in this weight so far with only two losses whilst competing at lightweight (his record in lightweight currently sits at 12 wins and 2 losses).
He has reached tremendous heights, becoming the interim UFC lightweight champion. But his goal remains the same, to one day be the undisputed lightweight champion of the world!
Poirier has stated that ‘adversity teaches a man a lot about himself’. This reinforces how strong his mindset is. Poirier knew he had to face adversity to ultimately get to where he wanted to be.
Starting off on the small local shows wasn’t easy for Poirier, but he persevered through knowing that one day he will make it to the big stage.
He stayed positive and continued to believe in himself, fuelling his belief with a constant and strong work ethic.
He wasn’t afraid to battle through the adversities that he faced. You must not be scared to face adversity when chasing your goals. In order to reach the ultimate dream it is inevitable you will have problems to overcome. With a strong mindset, you will get through it!
Poirier is INSPIRING us all!
Poirier has continued to INSPIRE people within the fight community, but outside it too! He was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana.
He was a regular person like us all. Though he had a more troubled childhood, he was able to channel his rage into a passion and career for himself.
He had a significant interest in the fight game.
Regarding the way he was raised, Poirier has had this to say, ‘people I grew up with, my family, work in the oil fields. Everyone works a labor job – construction, concrete. All we know is work. It’s a physical culture’. As we can see not much was expected from Poirier.
He was expected to follow in everyone else’s footsteps and seek a ‘labour job’. This was not what he desired. He chose to create his own path, pursuing his dreams.
Poirier teaches us all that we dont need to follow suit and do what we are expected to do. Instead we should always pursue our own dreams and goal, pursuing what we want to do.
He has worked all the way to where he is now. Showing us all that through hard work and dedication, anything is achievable. A trait he takes from the way he was raised ‘all we know is work’.
Many people take inspiration from Poirier, even outside of fighting, seeing how he has never given up after the adversities he has faced. Poirier hasn’t had It easy, but his desire to keep going is a trait we can all be inspired by and aspire to have ourselves.
Poirier teaches us that life doesn’t always go to plan and can be tough with the many problems we face. By never giving up and continuing to develop and grow, we can one day reach our goals and dreams just like Poirier.
As well as inspiring people with his achievements as a mixed martial artist, Poirier also likes to give back to the people. He founded the Good Fight Foundation with his wife, where he raises money to give and help the less fortunate.
It is a great cause, which everyone should definitely check out- The Good Fight Foundation!
It again shows how Poirier wants to help others live their best possible lives by providing those with less opportunities a chance of having a better future.
Poirier has told us that ‘We fall, but we get up because the ground is no place for a champion’, Poirier shows us that failure is common if you want to chase greatness! We may come up short some times on our journey, but we chant be deterred by the losses we face.
Instead we must be positive and continue to rise and keep moving forward.
You must get up from every hurdle you face and strive forward! Even when times may get tough, you must never give up. It is all a part of the journey and will guide you one day towards accomplishing your ultimate goal.
Poirier is aiming for the top…he is LIMITLESS!
Poirier is LIMITLESS, believing he can achieve whatever he puts his mind too. As said before, not much was expected from Poirier.
He proved everyone wrong. Becoming the UFC superstar he is at this current time, is already some achievement!
Poirier does not want to stop here though. He wants to go further ‘My goal and path is always to get to the mountaintop and be a world champion, and leave a fighting legacy.’ Here we can clearly see Poirier’s line of thought.
He wants to conquer everything to get to the pinnacle of mixed martial arts, become a champion!
He has already tasted what it is like to be an interim champion after defeating Max Holloway in 2019, now he wants to go that one step further and become the undisputed champion!
Poirier doesn’t set himself small goals that he knows are easy to accomplish. He wants to challenge himself and reach his true potential, seeing where he can really go.
Becoming a UFC champion is the pinnacle of a fighter’s career, there isn’t anything more prestigious than achieving this goal. Poirier set himself this incredible task early on in his career.
Though it may have been far from reach at the time, Poirier built himself up towards that goal. As we said before, Poirier started of fighting on just local shows in the first few years till he got the call up to the UFC!
He has continued to rise and evolve, going up a level each time. First becoming a good MMA fighter on the local scene, moving into the UFC where he became an elite fighter, now solidifying himself as one of the top lightweights in the UFC and in the world.
None of this would have been possible if Poirier didn’t believe he was capable of achieving great things and being limitless.
As with a limited mind, we doubt ourselves and think if it is really possible for us. Poirier didn’t fall into this trap and made sure he addressed any doubts with the work he was putting in.
Poirier has also ventured out into the business world, recently releasing his very own hot sauce! This again shows Poirier really does believe whatever he is passionate about and driven to do, he will achieve!
No matter what it may be, as long as Poirier believes in himself and wants to do it, he can accomplish anything.
You must approach anything you do with an open mind. Never limit yourself. As when we limit ourselves we put a cap on what we can do. Always aim for the stars when setting out your dreams and keep working your way up towards the pinnacle of your goals!
How does Poirier find INNER-PEACE?
Poirier has now been able to find his own INNER-PEACE.
As a youngster, Poirier was filled with a lot of rage and anger, which would cause him to be in a lot of fights when he was young.
It wasn’t till he found martial arts, where he could really express and let these emotions out in a controlled manner.
When he first started of his MMA career in the early 2000’s, it wasn’t easy for Poirier.
He has previously said ‘Years and years ago, like in 2006, my wife, I didn’t have a car, she would drive me to weigh-ins, we would sleep in broken-down motels and I would fight the next day. Just me and her.
Here we can see the struggles Poirier had to go through to get to where he is now. He had to take the long road to get to his dreams, but Poirier is happy that it was this way.
It makes him more grateful for the things he does have as he knows he deserves everything, as he has put the work in, having to take the harder road to get there.
Poirier has also said when he was younger and starting off his MMA career, he was much more emotionally invested.
This would cause him to get too emotional sometimes, which he believed happened against McGregor in their first encounter in 2014.
Over the years Poirier has been able to mature and grow both physically and mentally. He is now a father and has a family, which he believes has helped him to reach his own inner-peace.
He has stated that he knows who he is, which has allowed him to reach a state of inner-peace, being only himself and not pretending to be something he isn’t.
Outside of fighting Poirier is also very engaged with his charity work, setting up the ‘Good Fight Foundation’ with his wife. This again is something that helps Poirier find inner-peace as he believes it is our duty to give back to people.
Helping out those that are less fortunate, providing them with opportunities motivates and helps Poirier to be his best self.
Over time you will mature as a person. But you must find what it is you truly want from this life to gain inner-peace.
Poirier has been patient giving things TIME
Over time Poirier has learnt how important it is to give things TIME. As stated before, Poirier had a tough start to his MMA career. He knew he had to be patient to get to where he wanted. He didn’t try and rush the process.
The more training and fights Poirier had, the more he was able to learn and improve himself as a mixed martial artist.
Poirier started his MMA journey in 2009 at the tender age of 20. As stated before, he started off on the local scene, fighting on cards primarily within Louisiana.
He went 7-0, then when making his WEC debut, he fell short losing via unanimous decision to Danny Castillo. It was the first loss for a young Poirier, but one that he learnt a lot from.
The WEC was then bought by the UFC, transferring all fighters to now what is known as the most elite organisation within MMA.
It became a reoccurring theme for Poirier to keep hitting roadblocks on his journey to the top of the MMA game. Poirier would find himself going on great winning runs, but then coming up short against some opponents where he lost.
Though very frustrating for him, he always came back, learning from his failures and going again.
His efforts finally paid off, when he had his first chance at UFC gold for the interim lightweight belt against Max Holloway, a thrilling bout where Poirier would be victorious via unanimous decision.
Then it came to unifying the UFC lightweight belt with the undisputed champion, the mighty Khabib Nurmagomedov, where Poirier again found himself coming up short.
Not something Poirier was unfamiliar with, again he had to rise and come back from another failure he faced.
He went on another great win streak, landing his second shot at UFC undisputed gold against Charles Oliveira, a man who has been on a similar journey to the top himself.
Poirier had this to say, ‘I feel like I’ve always been a great fighter but I’m learning the patience part of it and not getting overwhelmed with emotion and adrenaline and going out there and brawling like a maniac.’
We can see that learning to give things time and be patient, requires time itself! Over the years Poirier has become accustomed with it and evolved over time.
Everything he has been able to develop and hone hasn’t been by chance, rather by time, patience and a consistent work rate with a desire to keep improving.
Deep down Poirier knew he had the skillset and ability to become a great fighter, but he knew it wasn’t just going to happen overnight. He had to put the work in constantly, then as time passed, he would start to see success.
You mustn’t try and rush the process to achieving your dreams. Chasing greatness doesn’t happen just like that, it takes time! You must be disciplined and know that one day you will get there.
Though you may face roadblocks on your journey, you mustn’t be deterred and keep moving forward!
Poirier makes sure he is ACTIVE
Poirier has remained ACTIVE on his journey to the top of the mixed martial arts world! He had to make sure he was regularly training in order to improve his skills and ability with each fight he had.
Turning pro in 2009, Poirier got straight to work, fighting 9 times in his first 2 years as a pro.
He knew that in order to develop, he needed time in the cage, being active.
As with anything, the start is always the hardest. There is a lot to learn and adjust to and for Poirier it was the same.
He had to be a sponge, especially as he didn’t have much prior martial arts experience, Poirier had to be continuously learning and applying this knowledge to improve his overall game.
As we know, his success on the local scene landed him into the WEC, which then later became the UFC.
In his first three years in the UFC, Poirier made sure he was actively fighting, having three fights a year. This gave him enough time to train properly, allowing him to progress up the rankings.
This was no easy task as a usual training camp for a fight can range from 8 to 10 weeks! This allows the body to be in optimum condition for fight night.
The longer time also allows Poirier to adjust to his opponent, as fighting at such a high level requires game planning and breaking down opponents to figure out where he can capitalise on fights in order to the get the victory.
Poirier told us that ‘Everybody has their own path. Everybody peaks at different times.’ Showing us that we must always be working and remain busy in building our skills and ability, helping us to achieve the end goal.
Some people may be able to find success straight away and much sooner than others. For other people, it may be a much longer, harder and gruelling process to attain goals.
For Poirier it was the latter, but he never stopped believing in himself, actively pursuing his goals and working towards them.
At the end of the day, chasing your dreams will always be tough, you must stay active to be able to make the progress needed to get there.
Outside of fighting, Poirier is still very active in his business ventures and charity work!
By having constant things to do, Poirier reduces procrastination and is improving himself in all departments, actively trying to become the best version of himself in life in general.
You don’t know when your work will pay off, so you must be continuously working and eventually it will. Stay focused on accomplishing your dream. Stay active. One day it will all come together and you will reach your desired goals!
Poirier remains RELENTLESS!
Poirier had to be RELENTLESS to achieve his goals so far! He has dedicated himself to his mixed martial arts career. Though he is still working towards achieving his ultimate dream, which is to be the undisputed UFC lightweight champion!
He started off right at the bottom, fighting on local shows where no one knew of him. Poirier is now one of the biggest stars in the UFC!
By being relentless, Poirier has been able to reach success. He never gave in, though it was very easy to.
Poirier kept on moving forward and every time he took a loss, he learnt from it, coming back much stronger.
Poirier told us ‘I’ve been the underdog my whole life.’ Reinforcing how many people didn’t believe in him. They always thought he would come off second best in his fights and life in general.
This underdog mentality worked in Poirier’s favour as it motivated him to go that extra bit further in training.
Poirier proved all the critics wrong. He was determined to do what they said he couldn’t, putting in numerous hours to prove them all wrong.
Poirier is the definition of never giving up. We can see the many times he could have gave up, but he chose not to. He decided to keep going because deep down, he believed in himself. He knew that one day all the struggles he faced would pay off.
No matter what people say, you are limited only by the amount of work you are willing to put in. The journey to your dreams will never be easy. There will always be problems to overcome.
You must be relentless on your journey towards accomplishing your dreams. Never be deterred by what people may think and say and keep striving forward. It will all work out in the end, just never give up!
Dustin Poirier is one of the best fighters in this current day and age. We can all learn from his ability to overcome adversity, proving people wrong and always striving for greatness. He teaches us what hard work and dedication can really achieve!
Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow our Instagram page to keep up to date with the latest news on our clothing items and for frequent motivational posts.
I have shown how Dustin Poirier has implemented Militar values throughout his life. Next up is…
