‘It just wasn’t meant to be.’ Dustin Poirier might be one of those UFC fighters who deserve a happy ending after a storied career. However, as he stepped into the octagon for the 40th and last time, at his hometown in Louisiana, he did not get his fairytale ending. Now, in UFC 318, a card specifically built for his final fight, he could’ve defeated his opponent Max Holloway again like he did two times before, at least on paper. 

But struggling to match the pace, his 109 strikes could not get even with Holloway’s 201 strikes. Ultimately, Poirier was knocked down twice. And with a unanimous decision, The Blessed caught the victory, spoiling retirement for the 36-year-old. Nevertheless, the Saturday night event was everything that we could’ve expected it to be. What we wouldn’t have expected, though, was a shout out from one of Poirier’s former rivals– Conor McGregor.

The Notorious has 6 losses in his 28 fights so far. One of his famous wins came over Poirier as the Irish fighter was still rising eleven years ago. But the Louisiana-born avenged that one loss with two back-to-back wins in 2021, creating a memorable rivalry for the MMA world. So, while one may think there’s bad blood between the two, McGregor didn’t stay behind in extending a congratulatory wish to the retiring future HOF, even if it packed some spice.

Taking it to his X account, in a now-deleted tweet, ‘The Notorious’ gave a shout-out to the main event fighters of UFC 318. “We love a good scrapper in the company, and them two boys are just that! Scrappers. Awesome stuff! Great fights lads, bravo! R.I.Pea head!”

Interestingly, in his congratulatory tweet, McGregor also brought back the nickname Poirier received back in 2014 when the two first met and the Irish fighter won with a KO – “Pea head.” However, he seemingly loved the fight and we couldn’t agree more. However, McGregor wasn’t the only one who had a message for Dustin Poirier.

Consensus GOAT Jon Jones also stepped in to share a few kind words for the former UFC interim lightweight champion. But somehow, he got to face more heat than love for his wish and he had a response for them all.

Jon Jones responds after fans take jabs at the former two-weight champ congratulates Dustin Poirier

The UFC 318 card was built around Dustin Poirier, who got a much-deserved farewell even though he could not get the win against Max Holloway. No doubt, Jon Jones also shared a message for him. “Congratulations on an amazing career Dustin, thank you for the years of entertainment. Now go enjoy your retirement,” Jones wrote on X.

But some fans on social media took issue with Jon Jones after he shared his message, taking a dig at the unceremonious nature of ‘Bones’s brief UFC retirement announcement. A fan responded to that message, voicing their displeasure with the way the former 2-weight UFC champion bid farewell to the sport only to come back within a couple of weeks. After all, they were waiting for the Tom Aspinall fight. They wrote, “Way better than your bs retirement.” In response to the fan, Jon Jones appeared a bit irritated with the negative reactions.

He responded, stating, “Why the negativity? My last fight I beat the greatest heavyweight of all time for a record-breaking 16 title wins. I did it in my home state at Madison Square Garden. And if that wasn’t my last time fighting, the next one will be at the White House at the biggest event in the history of our sport.”

Meanwhile, the consensus UFC GOAT also found some backing, as a fan claimed that arguing with negative fans is not worth his time. While the comment is now deleted, Jon Jones could not agree more. Nevertheless, Jones had already responded saying, “Trust me, I know, I make their skin boil. lol.” Well, it appears that there could be fans who do not rate Jones highly, but he’s got his supporters in the fight community as well.

Although Jones did not get the love back, if you look at it, the two former rivals tipping their hats to The Diamond was pretty awesome to see as he rides into the Florida sun. Were you expecting Conor McGregor’s message to Dustin Poirier? Let us know in the comments below!