Ahead of his last fight at UFC 318, Dustin Poirier has placed a familiar face alongside a more controversial one on his MMA Mount Rushmore.

Poirier is expected to receive significant fanfare when he makes the walk in front of his fellow Louisianans inside New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center this Saturday.

In the main event of UFC 318, Poirier will retire against Max Holloway as the fan-favorite lightweight veteran hangs up his gloves to bring an 18-year career to an end.

Across an MMA tenure spanning close to two decades, Poirier has shared the cage with and witnessed some of the best fighters the sport has ever seen. With that in mind, he is well placed to weigh in on a never-ending debate.

Dustin Poirier puts former UFC rival Khabib Nurmagomedov on his MMA Mount Rushmore

During a recent appearance on The Danza Project ahead of his final farewell in New Orleans, Poirier was asked to give his take on an age-old discussion.

A multitude of names often appear on fighters’ and fans’ selections for their MMA Mount Rushmore. ‘The Diamond’ chose four of the more common choices, including his former opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“Top four? (Jon) Jones, Khabib, (Georges) St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva,” Poirier said.

Nurmagomedov submitted Poirier at UFC 242 in 2019, marking the American’s first of three failed attempts at reaching the undisputed lightweight throne.

‘The Diamond’ went on to give a couple of honorable mentions, including to another legendary figure from his longtime division.

“I need more of a mountain, man, because BJ Penn in his prime…Fedor Emelianenko…there are so many legends out there,” Poirier said. “When they were in their prime, man, it was something special.”

Dustin Poirier expects his retirement to last longer than Jon Jones’

All four of the names Poirier mentioned were together in retirement. Jones, however, has seemingly changed his mind.

Just weeks after Dana White announced Jones’ retirement, the controversial Rochester native announced plans to return in 2026 after Donald Trump pitched a UFC event on the lawn of the White House.

‘Bones’ recently reiterated his intention to fight again at that occasion during a walk-and-talk interview with TikToker Joy Of Everything.

“I can’t promise anyone anything, but I have a very strong feeling that I’ll be on that card,” Jones said. “I think it’s going to be historic. It will be as big as the ‘Thrilla in Manila’, or ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’, it’s up there with that. Essentially, it could be bigger than that.

“I would want to take on whoever is holding the belt at the end of the year. As of right now, the champion is Tom Aspinall, but we’ll see who the champion is at the end of the year.

“I feel like to have an American fight for a championship that night, I would put it all on the line…right now, I’m just trying to be a good citizen.”

Poirier no doubt expects his retirement to last considerably longer than Jones’ has, having suggested that only an extremely unlikely fourth title shot would be able to change his commitment to hanging up the gloves this Saturday.