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Dustin Poirier is interested in a boxing match.

MMA great Dustin Poirier, who retired last year, says he is interested in a boxing match, but his UFC contract is proving problematic.

Poirier, who is one of the most exciting fighters in UFC history, chose to hang up his gloves following a unanimous decision defeat to rival Max Holloway in their trilogy match last summer at UFC 318. The fight took place at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was the perfect location for the Lafayette native to retire from MMA. While he said at the time his decision to retire from active competition was final, it appears as though Poirier is reconsidering his decision, though perhaps in another combat sport.

Speaking on the Deep Waters podcast, Poirier admitted that he still wants to compete. Instead of fighting in the UFC, however, he is interested in pursuing boxing. The problem is that he still has fights left on his UFC contract, and that is proving to be a stumbling block in pursuing a boxing match.

“Man, I still have fights left in my contract with the UFC. I’m stuck in purgatory, so I can’t go out and do nothing. And if I could, I don’t even know if I would, but boxing has always been something I wanted to do,” Poirier said (via MMAjunkie.com).

Zuffa Boxing is Not an Option for Dustin Poirier

One potential option on paper for Poirier to compete in boxing is in Zuffa Boxing, which is run by UFC president Dana White. However, that doesn’t appear to be a realistic path to Poirier pursuing his boxing goals, as White has blown cool air on the possibility of UFC fighters appearing in Zuffa Boxing. To that end, Poirier admitted that while Zuffa Boxing makes a lot of sense for him, the odds of it happening are slim due to White not being interested in it.

“Bro, I’ve been down this road before. They don’t want any crossover. No. They want to be taken seriously. Plus, if they let one guy do it, every guy and girl on the roster is going to try to do this,” Poirier said.

Dustin Poirier Will be a UFC Hall of Famer One Day

It is only a matter of time until Poirier gets inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He made his debut in the UFC back in 2011 and ended up fighting 32 times inside the Octagon, going 22-9, 1 No Contest overall. Poirier beat Holloway in 2019 to become the UFC interim lightweight champion, though he failed to become the undisputed champ when fellow legend Khabib Nurmagomedov beat him in their title unification bout late that year.

Still, Poirier had a Hall of Fame career. He fought the best fighters in the world for over 15 years, picking up notable victories over the likes of Holloway twice, Conor McGregor twice, Michael Chandler, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis, and many more. Overall, Poirier had an incredible career, and it was a bit of a surprise when he hung up his MMA gloves at age 36. However, if he gets the chance to compete in boxing, then fight fans may see him again.